The God Who Sees

Does God see?

It's tempting to wonder if God sees. It feels like there are so many reasons to doubt that God is looking down on His creation.

Pandemic. Natural disasters. Death. Sorrow. Pain. Sickness. Failing marriages. Abuse. Hunger.

In the psalms, David cried out, "You have seen, O LORD; be not silent! O Lord, be not far from me!"

If anyone could doubt that God was watching, it would be David. He was a fuitigve, homeless, running. The person he should have been able to trust--his father in law--was constantly trying to kill him. 

But David still knew that God had seen it all. And God later delivered David from Saul, giving him the kingdom. 

One of the Hebrew names for God is El Roi. Translated, it means the God who sees me. 

Sometimes, in days of darkest pain, just the knowledge that God knows and He sees is such a comfort. He sees. He is putting all our tears in a bottle. And He is looking out for His children.

The name El Roi comes from the account of Hagar in the Bible. Like David, she too had been abondened by the person she should have been able to trust. She and her son were cast into the wilderness. When they almost died, the Lord brought her help. 

She went on to praise the Lord and call Him El Roi, the God who had seen her. During her darkest days, God had seen her suffering and come to help her.

Like David and Hagar, we too can know that God sees us. In our darkest days, He is still there. His plan, though we may not understand, is perfect. 

Which of the names of God bring you comfort?