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“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?”  Genesis 16:13 (NJKV)

You may have heard of Abraham, the Father of Israel. He was married to Sarah, and Sarah had a slave from Egypt, named Hagar. As the story goes, God promised Abraham a son, an heir to his fortune and one that would bring about the nation of Israel. Abraham and Sarah waited…and waited…and waited. No son came and they were getting older. Sarah came up with a grand plan. She decided she would give Hagar, her slave, to her husband and she would act as a surrogate and have a baby for them. Which is exactly what ended up happening and Hagar did conceive.

After Hagar confirmed she was expecting, that pointed to the fact that Abraham could have children and Sarah could not. Hagar gloated, “looked down on her mistress” (Genesis 16:4 Message) and did not treat Sarah kindly. Sarah complained to Abraham and Abraham told Sarah to do what she wanted with Hagar. Scripture tells us that Sarah retaliated and treated Hagar with harshness. According to the Message, Genesis 16:6 states that, “Sarai was abusive to Hagar and Hagar ran away.”

Let’s pause and take a look at Hagar. She was an Egyptian slave, now living in the land of Canaan. She would have been bought or bartered for. She had no say in her own life. She was forced to sleep with an 84 year old man, and found herself pregnant and being mistreated. She had no power, no status, and nobody in her corner.

Genesis 16:7 states that after Hagar ran away, “The angel of the Lord found Hagar…. The angel said to her, “Hagar, Sarai’s servant, where have you come from and where are you going?”

Notice the angel of God called her by name. He saw her, He knew her despair and pain, and He spoke to her with kindness. Genesis 16:13 tells us that she answered God by name, praying to the God who spoke to her, “You’re the God who sees me! Yes, He saw me, and then I saw Him!”

Hagar was the first person to be visited by an angel, the only person to give God a name, and the first single mom (mentioned in scripture). And God saw her right where she was.

“My Heavenly Father, please help me not to accept the lies of this world, that I am unimportant or not known. Please help me to truly believe that You, The Only True God, created me, sees me, and knows me by name and rest in the fact that You adore me as Your precious creation.”

For His Glory

Terrie Tollerson
TRBC Women’s Life