The God Who Sees you

By Courtney Chambers

El Roi: The God who sees me. What a powerful name to call our God. He sees. He sees the mundane moments, the challenging moments, the scary moments, and the good moments. Every second of the day, God sees, and He cares. 

I know the feeling of sitting in the waiting room with your child very well. I know what it is like to watch your child cry after blood is drawn or to hold them down so they can find a suitable vein. I have spent days in the hospital wondering if today will be the day we get the necessary answers. I have been frustrated as results come back inconclusive. I have been there. I still walk this road as we wait for answers. The feeling of not being in control is difficult. We want to protect and provide the best for our children. We want to keep them safe and for nothing to harm them, yet sometimes we don’t have the answers and sometimes we can’t protect them. Sometimes we wait in the waiting room, not knowing what the appointment will bring. Other times, we feel alone as we navigate our daily role of parenting. In these moments, we can quickly believe that no one sees or understands what we are going through.  

El Roi: The God who sees me. 

My God sees me. We find this name for God in the book of Genesis. Hagar, the servant of Sarai, was commanded to have a child with Abram. After becoming pregnant with Abram’s child as Sarai had wished, she is sent into the wilderness with her child to die. It is there, next to a spring of water, that Hagar meets the God who sees her. She is comforted and encouraged despite her situation. God saw her. Knowing that God saw her gave her the hope she needed. She was reminded that God saw what she was going through, and He also looked after her. 

Throughout our lives as parents, we often experience moments in the wilderness. We might feel alone and unseen in the challenging moments of raising our kids. We might believe the lie that no one knows what we are experiencing. However, the truth is that we are never alone, nor do we walk through the wilderness alone. El Roi, God sees me. He sees the situations we are walking through and He is sovereign over all things. 

He knows our children better than we do. They are His image bearers, not ours. He crafted them in the womb and used us as His instrument. God sees and knows our children in ways we, as parents, never can. The God who sees knows his children intimately, knew we would fall under the curse of sin, and still, He formed a plan before the foundations of the world to save His people from sin. The God who sees demonstrated His love through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross, who defeated death and made a way of salvation for His people. This is the God who sees me while I am in the unknown and in the difficult moments of parenting. 

Parenting in the wilderness is challenging and can often feel lonely. We desire to be understood by others when, in reality, our God is with us the whole time. He sees us better than anyone else can, and more than that, He cares for us. He cares for us in the wilderness or on the mountaintops. In complex and beautiful parenting moments, we can cling to the truth of who God is. He sees us, He knows us, He loves us, and he invites us to come to Him with our burdens so He can give us rest (Matt 11:28-30). 

Today, lift your head and take comfort. You walk with El Roi: The God Who Sees You.

Courtney Chambers is a pastor’s wife and mom of three living in northeast Missouri. Courtney has a Bachelors in World Missions and a Masters in Biblical Counseling.  Courtney is passionate about biblical theology and reaching the next generation. In her free time she enjoys reading, writing, and baking. You can find her on Instagram @courtneyrchambers and @thereformedlife 

Further Reading:

The God Who Sees Me

Walking With God Through Pain and Suffering

God’s Presence and Provision in the Wilderness