Genesis 16-17

“I have now seen the One who sees me” (16:13). Hagar and Ishmael symbolized the failure of Abram and Sarai’s faith in God’s promise, and their situation went from bad to worse. Yet, even though she was an enslaved woman dragged into another family’s ambitions, Hagar was a person created in God’s image, and God did not lose sight of her. When she became a desperate runaway, “the angel of the Lord found Hagar”, spoke to her, and had mercy on her (16:7). Hagar named the Creator “the God who sees me” (16:13).

“Where have you come from, and where are you going?” (16:8). No matter how complicated our situation, we matter to the Lord. He “sees” us and desires to show us mercy.