A God who sees

Gen 16 : 1- 16

The angel of the Lord met Hagar...

Hagar, a slave girl, who has fled her master's home is met by the angel of the Lord!! She is in a desperate situation, pregnant and trying to find refuge in the wilderness. She is not totally without blame - for she has behaved haughtily towards her mistress. God on the other hand has mercy on her and treats her with respect. The angel (who represents God himself) calls her by name, speaks with her and gives her hope for the future. Her life changes for she has had an encounter with the Lord. She is able to return to her master, continue her life as a slave, and give birth to her son, Ishmael ("God hears"). Life does not seem to change that much to the external observer but it has changed 180 degrees for Hagar.

The other day, a friend reminded me that in the book of Genesis, we find God making his way into people's lives - to connect with them, to hear their cry and to meet their needs. I had forgotten this dimension of intimate encounter that is very present even in this early revelation of God to human persons. God is in the business of relating to his creatures, long before he sent his Son to us, to live among us. God is relational first and foremost and his mercy extends not only to his special people (Abraham and Sarah are blessed in a special way) or to certain 'chosen' ones. God is a God who 'sees', whom the psalmist trusts, who "keeps a record of our tears" (Psalm 56: 8)