One of my favorite stories in the Bible talks about a young slave girl named Hagar who seemingly had no control over the circumstances of her life.  Genesis 16:1-16 tells her story of desperation, loneliness and despair.  But it also tells the story of a loving and compassionate God that saw Hagar and assured her of her worth.

Hagar was in a situation not of her choosing.  At one point life became overwhelming and she was dealt with so harshly that she ran away.  But the LORD found her sitting alone by a spring and encouraged her, made a promise to her and then told her to go back and submit to her master…In other words “go and live the life you were placed here to live”.

Hagar was so uplifted by her visit from God that from that point on she called Him El-roi – “The God who sees ‘me’.  Hagar went back to the same circumstances but with a different attitude:  A hopeful expectation of a fulfilled promise.

Do you ever find yourself in the midst of turbulent or overwhelming circumstances not of your making?  Are you tempted to run away?  Be assured that God sees you and has a plan for your life.  We can’t always choose the situations we’re faced with but we can choose to submit to God and to the plan he has for us.  Knowing that God sees me and that He is concerned with me leaves me open to trust that He knows what is best for me even when I can’t understand this life of mine.  The next time you are in despair look up into the face of El-roi and have a talk with the God who sees you.