Melissa Small supports her husband, Rusty, in his ministry as a pastor at Liberty Baptist Church while raising her 2 boys, James and Thomas. She also serves as the women’s ministry leader and on the worship team at her church. She has a passion for women growing deeper in their knowledge of God’s Word and fostering a supportive Christian community among women. A doctorate in Education and Christian Leadership aids in accomplishing these goals through teaching, mentoring, and Bible study.
I enjoy reading the Bible and seeing familiar stories with new eyes, like the powerful story of Hagar and El Roi “the God who sees me” (Gen. 16:13).
Sarah mistreated her servant, Hagar, whom she first pressured into having a child with Abraham to fulfill her own desire for a child. Once Hagar became pregnant, Sarah was overcome with jealousy and treated her harshly. So, Hagar ran. And yet, in the wilderness, God met her there.
Not only did He see her suffering, He spoke to her personally. He told her to return and submit, even though the situation itself had not yet changed. That is a difficult truth to wrestle with. God did not erase the hardship immediately, but He gave Hagar something powerful enough to sustain her through it: the assurance that she was seen.
El Roi means, “the God who sees me.”
Hagar was no longer suffering silently or alone. The Lord acknowledged her pain, blessed her, and reminded her that He was present in the middle of her affliction. That gave her the courage to return. There is an important message here for our world today.
We live in a society that often seeks healing through revenge or the complete removal of pain and injustice. But vengeance never truly heals wounds; it often deepens them. What begins to heal the human heart is being seen, heard, known, and loved in suffering.
That does not mean injustice is acceptable. Scripture never celebrates mistreatment. But it does remind us that our suffering does not release us from obedience to God or responsibility before Him. We are still called to follow His Word, even in difficult circumstances, trusting that He sees what others may overlook.
At the same time, Christians have a responsibility toward those who are hurting. If God is a God who sees, then His people should be people who see others, too. We are called to mourn with those who mourn and walk alongside those in pain. Sometimes healing begins simply by helping someone feel acknowledged instead of invisible. Listening matters. Compassion matters. Presence matters.
As believers, we should never encourage people to use pain as justification for sin, bitterness, vengeance, or destruction. But neither should we dismiss suffering or expect people to carry it alone. We are called to walk the road of healing with one another — encouraging obedience, offering grace, speaking truth, and reminding one another of El Roi, the God who sees. But God does not end with noticing pain. He chose to take it on and end it for good.
Ultimately, Christ Himself entered suffering with us and for us. He endured injustice without sin so that one day every wrong would be made right. Through Him, God is restoring order to the chaos sin has brought into this world and bringing creation back toward His original design of unity, peace, and harmony.
The God who saw Hagar still sees us today and we can respond in gratitude by seeing those around us who are suffering, looking for someone to notice their pain and point them to the God who sees them, wants to save them, and ultimately end their pain, too.
