“So she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, ‘You are a God of seeing.’” — Genesis 16:13
SOUNDING
Hagar does not volunteer for this role. She is an Egyptian servant in Abram and Sarai’s household, brought into a situation shaped by fear and impatience. Sarai, tired of waiting on God’s promise, decides to take control of the outcome. Hagar is chosen not because she has a voice, but because she does not. She becomes a solution to someone else’s problem. Her body is used to try to force God’s timing. When she becomes pregnant, the power imbalance becomes heavier, not lighter. What was framed as a plan becomes a burden she has to carry.
The situation unravels quickly. Sarai feels threatened. Abram withdraws. Hagar absorbs the emotional fallout. She is mistreated, blamed, and pressured until she finally runs away. By the time she reaches the wilderness, she is not just physically alone. She is relationally abandoned. She carries a child tied to conflict. She carries a future she did not choose. From a human standpoint, she is disposable. The household moves on. The story of promise continues. And Hagar becomes the quiet casualty in the background.
That is where God steps in. Not to the center of power, but to the edge of survival. God goes after the one who has no leverage. He speaks to her. He calls her by name. He addresses her future. When Hagar names Him “The God who sees,” she is not making a theological statement. She is describing what just happened to her. God saw what others used. God noticed what others dismissed. God entered the story that everyone else treated as collateral damage. In the wilderness, Hagar learns something the powerful often forget. God’s attention is not drawn by status. It is drawn by need.
BEARING
God sees what others use, overlook, or leave behind. His gaze restores dignity where people strip it away.
PRAYER
Lord, thank You for seeing me in places where I have felt used, overlooked, or forgotten.
DROP IN
Name one part of your story where you felt like collateral damage. Bring it to God and let His attention speak louder than that experience.
Ryan Daffron 
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