The Lord has heard your affliction.
I still remember what a struggle it was when Jenny and I tried to find the perfect name for our baby. During the entire pregnancy, we must’ve gone through thousands of names before finally settling on Zac Vihaan Mendes.
But then, when he was born, I looked at him and said to Jenny, “The name Vihaan doesn’t suit him at all!” So we were back to square one, and we had to find a new middle name for him.🙈
Finally, we found the name Chanan, and loved it. But for the first 3 days, our boy was just Zac. When we finally decided and could call him by his full name, it was a magical moment. 🥰
The first time God is called by name in the Bible is in Genesis 16:13 NKJV :
Then she [Hagar] called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, You-Are-the-God-Who-Sees; for she said, “Have I also here seen Him who sees me?”
The name she gives God is El Roi—the God Who Sees.
Isn’t that beautiful? We serve a God who sees us! He isn’t too big or occupied to take notice of us, His humble servants. He sees every joy, every tear, every quiet prayer.
In 1 Kings 18, we find the extraordinary story of Elijah and the prophets of Baal, both calling upon their God to send fire from heaven. After the prophets had danced around the altar, calling on Baal for hours, Elijah started to taunt them:
At noon Elijah began to taunt them. “Shout louder!” he said. “Surely he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy, or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened.” – 1 Kings 18:27 NIV
They did shout and pray, even cut themselves with swords and spears to get their god’s attention. But it didn’t matter:
Midday passed, and they continued their frantic prophesying until the time for the evening sacrifice. But there was no response, no one answered, no one paid attention. – 1 Kings 18:29 NIV
What a contrast to El Roi, the God of Hagar, the God Who Sees, our God! Hagar didn’t have to jump through hoops, but God came to her. While she was at the lowest point in her life, she met the God Who Sees.
He sees you too.
