Beautiful in God’s Eyes: Who YOU Are in HimSample

## You Are Seen Although Kiwi felt as if there was no escape from poverty, God saw her in the midst of the brokenness and sent rescue. When she was seven years old, Kiwi was invited into the Compassion program, where her life began to change. With the help of a loving sponsor, she received the essentials she so desperately needed, from nutritious food to an education. Because of the brokenness of the world we live in, we may go through things that leave us with more questions than answers. “Are you seeing this, God? “Did you see what they did to me, God?” “Where are you, God?” Heartbreaks and disappointments can make us feel isolated and alone. Challenging circumstances can leave us confused and frustrated. And at times, we may fail to see how God could possibly be with us in our suffering. But he is. In Genesis, we meet a woman named Hagar, Sarai’s Egyptian servant. Sarai (who would later become Sarah) had been unable to have children with her husband, Abram (who would later become Abraham). In her desperation to have a child, Sarai gave Hagar to Abram as his wife. Hagar conceived a child, just as Sarai had planned. Soon after she conceived, tensions arose between the two, leading Sarai to mistreat Hagar. Caught in this horrifying mess of brokenness and feeling as if she had no choice, Hagar fled. We can only imagine how Hagar felt, pregnant and alone. Confused? Hurt? Abandoned? She was surrounded by confusing and downright painful circumstances. But God saw her in the midst of trouble and gave her direction and promise. Soon, an angel of the Lord found Hagar near a spring in the desert. While there, the angel gave her a message: “Go back to your mistress and submit to her. I will increase your descendants so much that they will be too numerous to count.” — Genesis 16:9, 10, NIV The angel told her to name her son Ishmael, a name that means God hears. Hagar gave a name to the Lord too: El Roi, or the God who sees me. “She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: ‘You are the God who sees me,’ for she said, ‘I have now seen the One who sees me.’”— Genesis 16:13, NIV Like Hagar, Kiwi was surrounded by injustice and painful circumstances out of her control. Yet God saw her and sent rescue through the local church and a sponsor. God sees you too. In those moments where you struggle to see God working or you seem to have more questions than answers, trust him. He will never leave you or forsake you (Deuteronomy 31:6, NIV). He knows exactly where you are and is always working on your behalf. Psalm 33:18 (NIV) reads: “But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love.” And in 1 Peter 3:12 (NIV), we read: “For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer.” God’s eyes are on you . He hears your every prayer and sees every tear you cry (Psalm 56:8, NIV). You’re not alone or abandoned. El Roi sees you. And he’s with you. Scripture References: * Genesis 16 * Deuteronomy 31:6