God Who Sees Me: The Story of Hagar and the God Who Still Meets Us Where We Are

There’s a woman in Scripture whose story is often overlooked, yet it carries deep truth for anyone who has suffered because of someone else’s choices.

Her name is Hagar, and her story in Genesis 16 is one of pain, rejection, and ultimately—divine encounter.

Hagar was an Egyptian servant in the household of Abram and Sarai. She didn’t ask for the role she was given. When Sarai couldn’t bear children, she suggested that Abram have a child through Hagar. This wasn’t Hagar’s idea, and it certainly wasn’t her plan. Yet, as often happens in life, she was pulled into someone else’s pain—someone else’s plan—someone else’s brokenness.

Once Hagar became pregnant, the tension in the household grew. Sarai, who had orchestrated the situation, now resented her. Hagar faced mistreatment so severe that she fled into the wilderness—alone, afraid, and expecting a child.

Sometimes, like Hagar, we find ourselves in situations we didn’t create. We suffer not because of our own wrongdoing, but because of someone else’s words, actions, or unresolved pain. Maybe it’s emotional neglect, harsh criticism, betrayal, addiction, or manipulation. It’s easy to internalize that pain, to feel invisible, or to believe that somehow we deserve it.

But Genesis 16 tells us something life-changing: God met Hagar in the wilderness.

The angel of the Lord found Hagar by a spring in the desert and called her by name—“Hagar, servant of Sarai.” This is the first recorded moment in Scripture when the angel of the Lord addresses a person by name. God saw her, knew her, and acknowledged her pain.

In that barren place, God didn’t shame her for running. He didn’t minimize her suffering. Instead, He gave her hope—a promise for her future and for her child’s future. Overwhelmed, Hagar declared,

“You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.”
— Genesis 16:13 (NIV)

The name Hagar gave God that day was El Roi—which means “The God who sees me.”

This has long been one of my absolute favorite stories in the Bible. During a season of my own life when I was suffering at the hands of someone who was battling deep inner turmoil, this passage was what I clung to. I didn’t understand the pain, and I couldn’t fix the situation—but I found peace in knowing that, just like Hagar, God still saw me.

No matter what others said or did, no matter how unseen I felt, He was the God who met me right where I was. When everything around me felt broken, He reminded me that my worth and identity were not tied to someone else’s actions—but to His love and presence.

If you’re walking through a season of hurt right now—feeling unseen, unheard, or unloved—remember Hagar’s story. God still meets people in their wilderness. He doesn’t wait for us to have it all together. He comes to us in the middle of our pain, confusion, and fear.

Sometimes the suffering we experience is not a reflection of who we are, but of the brokenness in someone else. Their anger, rejection, or indifference often says more about the state of their own heart than it does about our worth. But here’s the truth: you are still seen, still known, and still deeply loved by God.

If you’re weary from the words or actions of others, take comfort in this—God is not distant from your pain. He sees every tear, every sleepless night, every silent prayer. He has not forgotten you. Just as He met Hagar by the spring in the desert, He will meet you right where you are.

You don’t have to have all the answers. You don’t have to fix what someone else broke. You only need to rest in the truth that the God who saw Hagar—El Roi—sees you, too.

So hold on. Healing is coming. God is writing your story, even in the chapters that feel too hard to read right now. And just like Hagar’s name was remembered in Scripture for generations after, your story, too, has meaning and purpose in His hands.