by Chrystal

I was in college when my friends and I were feeling nostalgic and decided to play a game of hide and seek – inside a department store. After running around the store looking for a good place to hide, I chose to crouch between two bike racks in the toys area. This must have been the best hiding place in the whole store because as time ticked away, I was yet to be found. Some friends even walked in front of me, but no one noticed I was there. Eventually, I peeked out of hiding only to realize my friends had already ended the game. Apparently, I had hidden so well they resolved I couldn't be found.

My days of hiding in department stores might be long gone, but honestly there are times I still feel hidden. But now I find myself contemplating on more than if I’m going to be found during a game of hide and seek. I wonder, does God really know the hurt I feel? Does He really see me? In those moments of desperation, I also wonder if the cries of my heart have simply been muted and ignored.

Have you ever asked God those same questions?

Growing up, I always heard the story of how Abraham (Abram) and his wife, Sarah (Sarai), gave birth to their son Isaac in their old age. But it wasn't until recently that I discovered a part of the story that resonated with me in my darkest moments of feeling forgotten. In Genesis chapter 16, we find a servant girl named Hagar. She was the servant of Abraham and Sarah, to be exact. Before Isaac was born, Sarah pleaded with Abraham to have a child with Hagar since she did not believe she could bear a child in her old age. Abraham did as Sarah asked and Hagar then became pregnant with Abraham’s son. The situation led Hagar and Sarah to resent each other so much that eventually Hagar fled to the wilderness to get away from Sarah’s harsh treatment.

It was there that Hagar was visited by the angel of the Lord who told her to return and submit to Sarah. The angel of the Lord shared she would have an abundance of descendants and that she was to name her son Ishmael, which means ‘God hears.’ The Lord had heard her cries of distress. Hagar suddenly realized she was never hidden. She referred to the Lord as El Roi, exclaiming, “You are the God who sees me.” God had seen her all along. Friend, the same God who took notice of a servant girl is the same God who sees you and me. He not only sees our circumstance of pain, He sees the entirety of our whole lives. He knows where we’re going and the journey it takes to get there. Nothing and no one is hidden from His sight. He is never caught off guard or surprised. He sees our hearts, knows our hurts and is with us through it all. Today, will you take a moment to celebrate El Roi – the God who sees you? Delight in knowing that you are not unnoticed, forgotten or overlooked. When it feels as if no one else sees you and understands your pain, God does. His love for you is personal and He is always present. God always sees. God always knows.

God only knows what you've been through God only knows what they say about you God only knows how it's killing you But there's a kind of love that God only knows