Worship Wednesdays: The Name of the Lord (Part 3)

This week we turn our eyes to Hagar. You remember her right? Sarai's servant, that she gave to Abram to become his wife? The Bible tells us that when Hagar became pregnant, she despised Sarai. Despised literally means to make light of, to lessen or make insignificant, to put down. Hagar basically rubbed it in, that she was pregnant and Sarai was not. Sarai turns around and treats her harshly and Hagar decides to run away. God comes to her in the wilderness and reassures her that everything will be okay. Hagar then says to the Lord, "You are a God who sees."

That is she calls God, El Roi. God sees all that we go through, nothing is hidden from him. We cannot hide from God. After this God sends Hagar back home to deal with the situation, and God does the same with us. He doesn't want us to run from our troubles. He wants us to face them, and He will be right there with us when we do. God will work all those bad things out for our good. Even when we can't feel his presence, we can know that God is El Roi, the God who Sees.

When we worship in spirit and truth, we can be assured that He is there, even if we can't sense His presence. As true worshipers of the Almighty God (Elohim), God Most High (El Elyon), We can be sure that He is watching over us as the God who Sees (El Roi). Though we are by no means the focus of worship, there are some benefits to the worshiper. There is a comfort that comes from knowing that God always sees and knows what is best for us. As Psalm 9:10 says:

And those who know Your name will put their trust in You, for You, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You.

Read Part 4 here.