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God Sees,
God Cares

“She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: ‘You are the God who sees me,' for she said, 'I have now seen the One who sees me.’” Gen. 16:13, NIV

The story of Hagar in Genesis 16 is amazing. Who would have thought that an Egyptian slave girl - probably picked up when Abram went down into Egypt [Gen. 11] - would get a personal revelation from God. Why is that? Was it because she was a wonderful “saint” who worshipped God and followed Him with her whole heart? Not that we know of. She was just an ordinary girl with human frailties caught in a situation beyond her control. Let’s look at her story and see what lessons we can learn for our own lives.

Hagar was a slave in Abraham’s household; specifically, she was Sarai’s slave. For all she knew, she would live and die a slave. But Sarai could not have children, and one day Sarai got the idea of having a child through Hagar. So, at Sarai’s insistence, Abram took Hagar as a second wife. This was certainly a promotion for Hagar. And sure enough, she got pregnant. If Hagar had been humble and kept respecting Sarai, everything might have gone well. But, probably like most of us would have, she began to act proudly and despised Sarai. First wife Sarai’s jealousy flared; she was not going to stand for that! If Hagar thought Abram would choose her over Sarai because she would be the mother of his first child, she was mistaken. Abram and Sarai had been through too much together. Abram allowed Sarai to take her womanly vengeance out on Hagar. So we find Hagar in the desert, running away from a bad situation…

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What is so amazing about this story is that God cared about Hagar! She was nobody. Abram and Sarai were the important people in the big picture. What happened to Hagar really would not make a difference. Although her future son would shape world history, he would have no real role in redemptive history; in fact, God later refers to Isaac as Abraham’s “only” son, the son of the covenant.

Yet here we have Hagar, scared, alone, hurting - emotionally and maybe physically - running away from a problem that her own attitude helped create. Sound familiar? Take comfort from this story - God sees. He knows you did not make all the right choices; He knows others have hurt you; He knows your disappointment and your pain…and He cares.

God Sees, God Cares

The Angel of the Lord appeared to her. The Angel of the Lord is often considered to be a pre-birth appearance of Jesus. This is the first time He is specially recorded as appearing to anyone! The next two people He appears to are Abraham and Moses…yet He first appears to an unimportant Egyptian slave girl. Unimportant to Sarai, unimportant to Abraham, unimportant in the family, unimportant to redemptive history, but important to God. God sees, and God cares!

Have you been in Hagar’s position or felt like it? Have you made mistakes and foolish choices? Have those close to you rejected you? Have authority figures in your life mistreated you? Have you been betrayed? Have your hopes been dashed? Are you alone and afraid of an uncertain future? God sees. God cares. He will come to you.

When the Angel asked Hagar where she had come from and where she was going, she didn’t know where she was going. She was only running from her problems; she had no idea what she was running to.

Sometimes we are so intent on getting away from a problem or situation that we don't think about where we are going. Hagar just wanted to get away from Sarai, have her child, and live in obscurity somewhere… anywhere. No plan, just a vague dream. It could have been the death of her. But God sees, and God cares.

God directed her to go back, face her problem, confess her mistakes, and live with the consequences. Abram’s family, although far from perfect, was still the safest and best place for her.

Hurt By Christians?

Hagar’s situation, though aggravated by her own attitude, was the “fallout” of the weakness of a “man of God.” He had not been the man he should have been. Many of God’s people have been hurt in His family - and, if honest, we have probably done some hurting as well. We are not perfect. We say the wrong things. We act the wrong way. Those in authority over us do not always act the way they should. Sometimes we are mistreated or unappreciated. Maybe we have sacrificed or worked hard to help a “man or woman of God” succeed in their ministry, only for them to ignore us or treat us with contempt. Many, like Hagar, have chosen to run…to leave the church.

The angel instructed Hagar to go back, make things right, and be part of the Church. Because we all still struggle with the sin nature [until heaven!], the family of God will never be a perfect place, but it is still the best place. It is what God designed for His people. God sees and cares when things are not right. He can bring correction, but running away is rarely the right response.

Is there ever a time to leave a specific church? A commitment to a local church is like a marriage commitment. Once you find the one where God wants you, you should commit and work to build relationships and strengthen the church. Leaving the church, other than for things like moving to a new location, should be as serious as a Biblical divorce. Is the church leadership engaging in unrepentant sin? Is false doctrine being introduced [not differences of opinion, but deviations from foundational truths]? Have they stopped genuinely following Jesus Christ? Is authority being abused?

You may feel alone in the desert, with an uncertain future. Take heart. God sees. God cares. You are important to Him no matter how you feel or what others think. Maybe you'll never change the world. Doesn’t matter. Jesus loves you for who He created you to be. Take comfort in that and turn to Him…He will be there.

Glenn Davis is a Christian author and Bible teacher whose work draws on more than 40 years of study, writing, and teaching in local churches. He has written 700+ articles, created five Bible courses, published three books, and shared 300+ Bible videos on YouTube. Readers can find his books on Amazon, follow his teaching on YouTube or visit Glenn Davis Books. Away from the keyboard, he enjoys time with family, reading, walking, and board or card games.

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