He is: El Roi
Because He is “El-Roi” - the God who sees me.
It was 2011 when Mindy and I embarked on a faith journey around Australia in a 1980s caravan with three small children under five. Our goal was to lap the map in 6 months. We were living out a dream to see our country and were convinced we could do so on the smell of an oily rag (ie: ‘broke musician hits the road with his family’).
Not being mechanically minded, there were many challenges as we set out. One after another! (ever experienced that?) Then on one lonely stretch of highway in outback Queensland, we pulled into an overnight stop, with mechanical dramas yet again! This time they threatened to derail our adventure of a lifetime. No funds left to fix our van, and facing the reality of heading home, that night we prayed - those kind of ultimatum prayers. When we woke the next morning we discovered we happened to have parked ourselves next to a mechanic from Newcastle of all places, who fixed our van for free. Turns out we knew them! God had connected us together in the middle of no where. It filled us with such confidence in God, and I developed a deep conviction from that moment that God see’s us.
God El-Roi “The God who sees me” is first found in the tender story of Hagar (Genesis 16:13). She is escaping the mistreatment of Sarai. She has run away, into the desert, when Hagar encounters an angel of the LORD. The angel finds her, calls her by name, and asks her where she has come from and where she is going. Of course God already knew the answer to these questions. The LORD then delivers a promise that tells her she is not forgotten, not unseen and that her trouble would indeed be part of the story of humanity. Her response is a faith one:
“She gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her: You are the God who see’s me. For she said “I have now seen the ONE who see’s me.” - Genesis 16:13
God El Roi highlights the Omniscience of God, who knows our circumstances, our very thoughts and feelings, our wins, our mistakes. God is not a distant entity, too important to listen or engage with the prayers of a child or an itinerant musician like me. This scripture shines a new light on God whose nature is both present and engaged with His creation. God even sees us, before anyone knows we exist:
“My frame was not hidden from you, when I was made in the secret place..you saw my unformed body” Psalm 139: 15.
You are seen!
“I am seen, I am known, I am loved” You are seen by the very God of all creation, who has seen every element of your story playing out before Him. He is not shocked or confused or wondering about what to do next. He works everything together for the good of those who love Him, and He invites you to see how He see’s you. And He see’s you. He is God El Roi. The God who see’s me.
-John Newsome