God Sees You

Welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread.

Our reading titled, God Sees You, was written by Karen Huang. Early mornings can be painful for my friend, Alma, a single mom of two. She says, when everything is quiet, worries surface.

As I do household chores, I think about our financial concerns and the kids' health and studies. When her husband abandoned her, Alma bore the responsibility of raising her children on her own. It's difficult, she says, but I know God sees me and my family.

He gives me the strength to work two jobs, provides for our needs, and lets my kids experience his guidance each day. Hagar, an Egyptian maidservant in Genesis chapter 16, understood what it meant to be seen by God. After she got pregnant by Abram, she began to despise Sarai, who in turn mistreated her, causing Hagar to flee to the desert.

Hagar found herself alone, facing a future that seemed bleak and hopeless for her and her unborn child. But it was in the desert that the angel of the Lord met her and said, the Lord has heard of your misery. The angel of God gave Hagar guidance on what to do, and he assured her of what the future would hold. From her, we learn one of the names of God, Elroy, the God who sees me. Like Hagar, you may be on a difficult journey, feeling lost and alone, but remember that even in the wasteland, God sees you.

Reach out to him and trust him to guide you through. Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is from Genesis chapter 16, verses 7 through 16. The angel of the Lord found Hagar near a spring in the desert.

It was the spring that is beside the road to Shur. And he said, Hagar, slave of Sarai, where have you come from and where are you going? I'm running away from my mistress Sarai, she answered. Then the angel of the Lord told her, go back to your mistress and submit to her. The angel added, I will increase your descendants so much that they will be too numerous to count. The angel of the Lord also said to her, you are now pregnant and you will give birth to a son. You shall name him Ishmael, for the Lord has heard of your misery. He will be a wild donkey of a man.

His hand will be against everyone and everyone's hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers. She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her. You are the God who sees me.

For she said, I have now seen the one who sees me. That is why the well was called Bir Lahai Roy. It is still there between Kadesh and Barad. So Hagar bore Abram a son and Abram gave the name Ishmael to the son she had born.

Abram was 86 years old when Hagar bore him Ishmael. Let's pray. God, we thank you for the assurance that we'll never have to journey through life alone. We know that you see us and that you'll always be with us. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Thanks for listening today. My name is Joyce Dinkins and today's encouragement was provided by Our Daily Bread Ministries.