“I See You” Says The God Who Sees Me

I have a lovely neighbor who has a practice of greeting people in a special way as she walks around our community. Friends, neighbors, service people—it doesn’t matter. As soon as she spots someone, even from afar, she calls out, “I see you!” before greeting them by name with a huge smile.

“I see you!”

What a joy it is to be seen. To be noticed. To know that our presence matters to others. And that reminds me of the most important person of all who sees you and me.

Watchful Eyes

One of the names God revealed for Himself in the Bible is El Roi, The God Who Sees Me. And He chose to reveal this name way back in the book of Genesis when He met a servant girl running away from an abusive situation.

Sarai’s servant, Hagar, found herself in a difficult situation. Unable to conceive, Sarai suggested that her husband father a child with her servant. Once Hagar conceived, she looked on her mistress with contempt.

Sarai resented Hagar and her pregnancy. Her mistreatment caused Hagar to flee into the desert, where she had an encounter with the living God. Hagar called His name El Roi, “The God Who Sees Me” (Gen. 16:13). The God of Abram had taken notice of an Egyptian servant and her situation. He sent her back to her mistress and gave her the grace to endure. He also promised to multiply Hagar’s descendants through her son, Ishmael.

How many times have we been stuck in a difficult situation, wondering if anyone knows or sees us? No matter how alone we may feel, El Roi’s watchful eye is always on us. No matter where we are, we are never out of His sight.

Living in Secret

Shakespeare once said, “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players.” That may be true for some, but when it comes to Christians, God isn’t interested in seeing actors going through religious motions.

Doing good things to impress people, or even to impress God, is doing them with wrong motives. The people of Jesus’s day had seen enough of that. Religious leaders made a point of attracting attention when they did their good deeds. They hungered for the applause of others.

Jesus denounced this behavior and pointed to a new way of living out our faith: the secret life. He didn’t mean for us to hide our faith. He meant that our motive for doing good is to honor the God who sees us. Jesus illustrated His point with familiar spiritual activities. He told His followers to give, pray, and fast in secret, instead of doing these things for the praise of others.

It’s not easy to work in secret. We may feel underappreciated or ill-used when others receive credit for our efforts. But El Roi sees both our efforts and the desires of our hearts. He will reward us, and His reward is always better than fleeting applause.

Do I See What He Sees?

Most of us have too much to do and too little time in which to do it. We’re busy accomplishing great things for the Lord. We rush around in ministry, but we may fail to minister to the needs around us.

In his letter to believers, James identified an inconsistency in Christians who claim to have faith in God, but who don’t accompany their claims with action. It’s not enough to dismiss someone’s needs with a few spiritual wishes and prayers. El Roi wants us to see their need and do something about it.

How often do we miss someone’s need, not because we don’t care, but because we’re simply too busy to see what El Roi sees?

We all long to be seen. And the God who loves us and sees us calls us to see the people around us. Will you and I be intentional and willing to slow down enough to notice others who also yearn to be seen?

How does knowing God always sees you bring you comfort today?

What motivates your good works? How do you respond to others’ lack of appreciation of your works?

How can you look beyond surface relationships to meet others’ needs seen by El Roi?

* Adapted excerpts from Reflections on the Names of God.