The God Who Sees Beyond our Mistakes

And she called the name of the Lord that spake unto her, Thou God seest me: for she said, Have I also here looked after him that seeth me? Wherefore the well was called Beerlahairoi; behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered. And Hagar bare Abram a son: and Abram called his son's name, which Hagar bare, Ishmael. And Abram was fourscore and six years old, when Hagar bare Ishmael to Abram. (Genesis 16:13-16)

Hagar, alone in the wilderness, encountered God. In her vulnerability, worry, and mess, she found solace in the assurance that she was not invisible to Him. She calls Him, El Roi, the God Who sees. What a profound statement of God's omnipresence and omniscience! Yet, the revelation of El Roi came about because of human decisions that were against God's plan.

Abram and Sarai's impatience led them to fulfill God's promise their own way. The birth of Ishmael through Hagar was a product of their human reasoning, not of faith. It was a decision that would have significant ramifications for generations to come, including wars we see happening in our world today. Instead of waiting on God's timing and promise, they wanted to speed up God’s plan.

Hagar’s experience serves as a reminder that our attempts to manipulate or rush God's plan often result in very negative consequences. Yet, even in our moments of missteps and mistakes, God still sees us. God still wants to redeem us, and God gives us opportunities to come back to His purposes and plans. Despite Abram's failure to trust fully in God's promise, God's covenant with him was not nullified. God continued to give him opportunities to make it right. He is El Roi, the God who sees beyond our mistakes.

Have you ever had to deal with the ramifications of past decisions you made that were not positive or in faith? Take heart. God's ability to redeem us from our mistakes is not contingent on our perfection but on us trusting in and leaning on His unfailing love. Like Hagar, we serve a God who sees us—not just in our triumphs, but especially in our vulnerabilities and failures.