EL ROI (The God Who Sees)
Some time ago, I became overwhelmed by several thoughts that were going through my mind. One of them concerned a young brother and his wife who had moved back to our hometown from Abuja, Nigeria. They had begun building a house, and the project was progressing very well. At the same time, he sensed God’s call to full-time ministry and enrolled in a local Bible school. Tragically, about a week after classes began, he became ill and, within two weeks, passed away.
Due to these overwhelming thoughts, I dedicated the following day entirely to prayer and fasting. As I prayed and meditated on God’s Word, I heard a gentle prompting in my spirit: “Take up your pen.” Having become familiar with this prompting of the Holy Spirit, I immediately picked up my pen and notepad. Then these words came to me:
“The One who made the ears, will He not hear? The One who made the eyes, will He not see?”
Immediately, the story of Hagar in Genesis 16 came to mind. I also remembered similar verses in Psalms and Proverbs. As I searched the Scriptures, I found these passages:
“Then she 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, NKJV)
“He who planted the ear, shall He not hear? He who formed the eye, shall He not see?” (Psalm 94:9, NKJV)
“The hearing ear and the seeing eye, the LORD has made them both.” (Proverbs 20:12, NKJV)
These passages brought great comfort and assurance that my prayers had not gone unheard by God. Although we had prayed and fasted for our brother to recover, the Author of life knows what is best. Even when we do not understand His ways, we can trust His wisdom and sovereignty.
The account of Hagar in Genesis 16 introduces us to one of the beautiful Hebrew names of God—El Roi, meaning “The God Who Sees.” Hagar was an Egyptian servant of Sarai, Abram’s wife. After waiting ten years for God’s promised child, Sarai decided to accomplish God’s promise through human effort. She gave Hagar to Abram so that she might bear a child on her behalf. However, after Hagar conceived, she began to despise her mistress. In response, Sarai dealt harshly with her, and Hagar fled into the wilderness.
By a spring in the desert, the Angel of the LORD found Hagar and called her by name. He asked where she had come from and where she was going. She replied, “I am fleeing from my mistress Sarai.” The Angel of the LORD instructed her to return and submit to her mistress. He also promised that her descendants would become too numerous to count and that her unborn son, Ishmael, would become the father of a great nation.
In response, Hagar called the Lord El Roi— “You are the God who sees me.” Although she was fleeing an abusive situation, her encounter with the living God did not immediately change her circumstances—it changed her. Knowing that God saw her suffering, understood her pain, and knew her future gave her the strength to return to Sarai and Abram and fulfill God’s purpose for that season of her life.
Notice the confidence expressed in her words: “I have now seen the One who sees me.” She commemorated that life-changing encounter by naming the well Beer Lahai Roi, meaning “The Well of the Living One Who Sees Me.”
What a powerful message this is for us today! When life becomes too painful to bear, we can find strength in remembering what Hagar discovered—that the Lord is the God who sees us. When we know that God is fully aware of our pain, disappointment, and need, our strength is renewed. He not only sees our present circumstances but also our future. Therefore, we can have hope for tomorrow regardless of what we face today.
Perhaps you are struggling in your marriage, your workplace, your ministry, or another difficult situation. Maybe your first instinct is to run away. El Roi sees your situation. He may even be saying to you what He said to Hagar: “Go back and submit.” He may have a greater purpose that you cannot yet see. His timing may not align with yours, but His plans are always good.
God communicated with Hagar through the Angel of the LORD. Today, He communicates with His people in various ways, including through His written Word, the inward witness of the Holy Spirit, dreams, visions, and prophetic ministry. While the inward witness may not seem as spectacular as visions or angelic visitations, many believers overlook this quiet yet consistent means by which God leads His children.
The Apostle Paul writes in Romans 8:16: “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.”
This inward witness is how many believers first knew they had truly been born again. Therefore, regardless of the challenges or decisions before you, trust the Holy Spirit’s guidance. Remember the words of Proverbs 3:5–6: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” Whatever path He reveals, obey Him with confidence.
Hagar’s story also reminds us that El Roi is both omniscient and omnipresent. God is all-knowing and ever-present. Nothing escapes His notice.
Hebrews 4:13 tells us that no creature is hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open before Him. Psalm 33:13–15 declares that He looks down from heaven and watches all mankind. Proverbs 15:3 reminds us that the eyes of the LORD are in every place, keeping watch over both the evil and the good. God sees not only our outward actions but also the thoughts and intentions of our hearts (1 Samuel 16:7).
He sees our pain and suffering, even when others overlook it (Exodus 3:7). He draws near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit (Psalm 34:18). He is aware of every detail of His creation and every circumstance in the lives of His children. These truths should fill us with comfort and assurance, knowing that nothing escapes His loving attention.
The encounter between Hagar and the Angel of the LORD also demonstrates God’s personal care for individuals. Although Hagar was a servant and a foreigner, God saw her distress, called her by name, and met her with compassion, instruction, and promise (Genesis 16:11).
Furthermore, Hagar’s story reminds us that God’s compassion extends to all people. As an Egyptian slave, she was an unlikely recipient of divine revelation, yet God revealed Himself to her. El Roi is not the God of one nation only; He is the God who sees and cares for all humanity. Likewise, when God saw the impending destruction of Nineveh, a Gentile city, He sent the prophet Jonah to call its people to repentance.
The revelation of God as El Roi offers profound encouragement to believers today. It assures us that God is fully aware of our struggles and is actively involved in our lives. In seasons of loneliness, hardship, disappointment, or uncertainty, we can rest in the assurance that we are seen, known, and deeply loved by the God who sees all.
May this glorious truth deepen our trust in God’s providence and strengthen our commitment to walk in faithful obedience to Him, confident that He is always present, always attentive, and always working for our good and for His glory. Amen.
—Philip O. Akinyẹmi