The Invisible Woman

A couple of weeks ago, I attended a Bible study that focused on the story of Hagar, which is found in Genesis 16.  I’ve read the account many times but this time I saw it from another perspective, that being Hagar’s.

Imagine poor Hagar, sitting alone in the desert.  She probably had never felt more alone in her life.  Hagar, a devoted servant to Sarah, had agreed to have a child for Abraham and Sarah.  That’s devotion. However, as we know, things changed.  Instead of a deep appreciation, Sarah began to resent Hagar and the child she conceived with Abraham.  In her emotional turmoil Hagar fled to the desert.

There she was, pregnant and feeling utterly alone.  At that moment, the only touch she probably felt was the scorching hot sun on her clothing. I wonder what thoughts were going through her mind? How hopeless her situation must have felt!

Have you ever been there? Maybe not in the desert, but have you ever retreated to a solitary place feeling as if no one cared? I think we have all been there before. There have been times in my life I’ve felt invisible.

Maybe you are a high school student who walks through the halls feeling sure no one ever sees you. Perhaps you are hoping to find your love of a lifetime and no one has seen the amazing person you are. It could be that your days feel empty and endless and you long for companionship. You may be working with every ounce of your being to gain recognition in your career. You might be the woman who is trying desperately to lose that last ten pounds, hoping your husband looks at you the way he once did. You could be any of these people or dozens more. Whatever you are facing that makes you feel alone, invisible, or isolated is as real as the pain that Hagar felt.

I am so grateful that Hagar’s story doesn’t end at the well.  In her lowest moment, God was there. In fact, after that meeting in the desert she gave God the name El Roi which means “The God Who Sees Me”.

[Hagar] gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me” (Genesis 16:13a).

When you are discouraged and attending a pity party for one, remember Hagar. Even at what you think is your own personal and solitary pity party, you are not alone. You are not invisible. El Roi is there, just as He promised.