I’ll never forget the first time I felt truly seen. It wasn’t in a crowd of cheering friends or a spotlight moment—it was in a season of loneliness, when a friend looked me in the eye and said, “I see how hard you’re fighting. You’re not alone.” That’s the power of being seen—not for our masks, but for our mess.
Hagar, a marginalized Egyptian servant in Genesis, knew that power firsthand. But her story isn’t just about a divine encounter in the desert—it’s about the God who sees us so deeply that He became flesh to meet us in our pain.
Hagar’s Wilderness
Hagar’s life was marked by powerlessness. Enslaved, forced into a surrogate role for Sarah and Abraham, and eventually driven into the desert by cruelty, she sat alone by a spring, certain she and her son would die (Genesis 16:1-8; 21:8-21).
But in her despair, God met her. Not as a distant deity, but as El Roi—“the God who sees me” (Genesis 16:13). He saw her tears, her fears, her invisible wounds—and He spoke destiny over her son Ishmael: “I have heard you” (21:17).
Yet this moment was more than comfort for Hagar. It was a foreshadowing of the God who would one day step into our wilderness Himself.
Jesus—God Who Sees and Saves
Centuries later, another weary soul sat by a well—this time in Samaria. A woman, ostracized and ashamed, came to draw water in the heat of the day to avoid judgment. There, Jesus met her (John 4:1-42).
Like Hagar, she was seen. But this time, El Roi wasn’t a voice from heaven—He was a man with dusty feet and eyes that pierced her soul. Jesus didn’t just see her; He knew her: her past, her pain, her thirst for acceptance. And He offered her living water—Himself.
Here’s the connection:
- Hagar’s encounter revealed God’s compassion.
- The Samaritan woman’s encounter revealed God’s incarnation.
- Jesus is Emmanuel, “God with us” (Matthew 1:23)—the ultimate answer to Hagar’s cry.
From Seen to Saved
Hagar’s story shows us God sees the hurting. The Samaritan woman’s story shows us God joins the hurting. But the cross takes it further: God becomes the hurting.
On the cross, Jesus bore:
- Our invisibility (“My God, why have You forsaken Me?” —Matthew 27:46).
- Our shame (“He took up our pain and bore our suffering” —Isaiah 53:4).
- Our death (“By His wounds we are healed” —1 Peter 2:24).
El Roi didn’t just observe our pain—He entered it. And in His resurrection, He rewrote our destiny, just as He did for Hagar and her son.
You Are Seen, Known, and Loved
When Jesus sees you, He doesn’t see:
- A problem to fix.
- A project to manage.
- A past to condemn.
He sees a person to love. A story to redeem. A child to call His own.
Your wilderness is not your end. It’s the place where Jesus meets you, offers living water, and walks you home.
A Prayer to Emmanuel:
Jesus, thank You for leaving heaven’s glory to see me, know me, and rescue me. When I feel forgotten, remind me that You bore my pain on the cross and rose to give me life. Help me drink deeply from Your living water and trust that my story is safe in Your hands. Amen.
To You, Friend:
Where do you feel unseen today? In your grief, your doubts, your secret struggles? Jesus isn’t watching from a distance—He’s in the dirt with you, whispering, “I see you. I’m here. Let’s walk out of this wilderness together.”
Question for Reflection: How does Jesus’ presence in your hardest moments change the way you face them?
Coming Next: What does it mean to be truly known? We’ll explore the story of Mary Magdalene—the woman freed from darkness who became the first witness of Jesus’ resurrection. Because in Christ, our past doesn’t define us; His love does.
— Timothy
Grave In The Waves – graceinthewaves.wordpress.com
