The God Who Sees

The most recognized quote attributed to Andy Warhol is "In the future, everyone will be famous for fifteen minutes." Or something to that effect. Sadly, and quite ominously, I think, right now, we are only scratching the surface of what that fifteen minutes will look like. Our world is smaller through technology, and fame is more easily attained in that sense. The bar has been lowered as to what counts for being worthy of worldwide acclaim. Humanity is less averse to doing stupid or nefarious things to gain that recognition. And our attention spans are notably shorter. 

Isn't being seen important to who we are, though? From the womb, we seek to be attended to; some studies have shown that the cry of a child is perfectly tuned to some pitch or frequency that will provoke Mother to action. Some children naturally "perform" when told they are having their picture taken. From athletes to academics, we reward excellence with trophies and inductions and scholarships. At the very least, we depend on those who call us "friend" or "brother" to notice when something has gone a little off kilter with us in hopes they will help us in remediation. Not until Adam gives his wife a name do we learn his name (Gen. 3:20). Our identity depends on the presence of another.

El Roi, is the name of God with which we are first presented in Genesis 16:13:

Then she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, You-Are-the-God-Who-Sees; for she said, “Have I also here seen Him who sees me?”

The God Who sees. I'd heard the name years ago, and it always brought a special feeling of comfort to me each time I thought of it. I am not alone. God sees the pain in my heart. God recognizes my need. But where was the response? Where was Mother, swooping in to comfort me or the scholarship committee to reward me for my endurance in adversity? The name gave me hope, but response did not seem to be an immediate reality. 

God's notice of us is eternal, and with that, it has an eternal perspective. Like the mother who sees her baby struggling to roll over --grunting, fists balled, face red --and she does nothing; Baby must figure this out on his own. Or the scholarship awarded to another deserving recipient --a high school senior --when the remaining applicants are still in their junior year. When the brother or sister does not overtly come alongside us in our struggle, but prays, fasts, and quietly creates opportunities for transformation to occur. It is not that we are not seen, but there is much more at stake than instant relief or gratification. God is working in those He loves something much more eternal, of greater quality. As in the account of Hagar, when she encounters El Roi, she is not told her cruel mistress will be dealt with. The Angel of the Lord does not tell this poor slave girl (and pawn in Sarai and Abram's rebellious scheme) that she has every right to flee and He will protect her. He says instead, Return to your mistress, and submit yourself under her hand (Gen. 16:9). Return. Return to your current, difficult situation. Return to the place where I see you, but you are going to have to trust Me. Return to a place of submission to your mistress, yes, but submission, most of all to My plan, My timing. Return to a place of waiting and trust that I see you. God's promise to Hagar is for the future. Eternal notice; future response.

Look at where all of this "struggling to be seen" has gotten us. Look at the foolishness that is celebrated; the flurry of opinion, debate, vitriol, discontent, threats, and out-and-out brain rot that floods our devices by the second. This is man's effort to be relevant, to be noticed, to be "somebody." But our Creator God, the One who longs to call us "sons and daughters" and has made a way through Jesus Christ that it might be so, He sees us! He is El Roi! How much greater is that than chasing clicks on social media, or forever being known in pop culture as "Catch Me Outside Girl", or dying from a butterfly injection? God's response may not be visible, it may not be immediate, it may not be in accordance with human logic (thankfully!), but it is trustworthy. He is not cruel toward His children or inattentive. For those whose identity is in Christ Jesus, we are seen by the only One whose perfect estimation really counts, who will never slumber or sleep, and will do all He has promised. His vision is without defect.