He Sees  You

I was in Bulawayo Zimbabwe over the last few days as a speaker at the Marketers Association of Zimbabwe 17th Annual Convention. It was great to connect with former classmates and to make new acquaintances. I loved everything about this trip. The level of excellence for the event was world-class.

It was also a trip down memory lane because many, many years ago, I was a student at the National University of Science & Technology (NUST) in Bulawayo. I drove past the apartment where I rented a room with limited funds and budgeting my student grant so it could stretch as far as possible.I had big dreams for my future. Something about being in Bulawayo made me thank God for “doing exceedingly  abundantly, above” what I could have imagined.

Today, i would like to share from Genesis 16 on  the story of Hagar. It’s easy to gloss over the layers of pain wrapped inside her narrative. Sarai, unable to conceive, gave her slave Hagar to Abram to bear a child on her behalf. It sounds shocking to us today, but in the cultural context of that time, it was sadly an accepted. A barren wife could present her maidservant to her husband, and  the child born would legally belong to the wife, not the slave. Hagar’s body was not her own. After all, she was a slave at the mercy of Sarai’s desperation.

Can you imagine what this must have felt like? To have no choice, no voice, no agency. Hagar wasn’t consulted, and she didn’t enter this arrangement willingly. She was used. And when she conceived, instead of being celebrated, the dynamics in the household grew toxic.

The Bible says that “when she knew she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress” (Genesis 16:4). The word “despise” here doesn’t necessarily mean hatred in the way we use it today. It speaks more of a shift in posture. In that culture, barrenness was considered a deep shame, while motherhood was a badge of honor. For the first time, Hagar carried something Sarai could not. Her very existence began to highlight Sarai’s pain, and perhaps Hagar carried herself with a sense of dignity or pride she had never known before. That subtle shift was enough to wound Sarai deeply.

Sarai responded with harsh treatment so harsh that Hagar fled into the wilderness. There, exhausted and abandoned, she must have felt invisible. Used by Abram, mistreated by Sarai, and unwanted by society. A slave with a child in her womb and no place to go.

And then God shows up.

By a spring in the desert, the Angel of the Lord called her by name. “Hagar.” This moment is striking. She is the first woman in the Bible recorded as being personally addressed by the Angel of the Lord, and not only addressed but given a promise about her future and her son. In a culture where slaves were nameless and voiceless, God restored her dignity by speaking directly to her.  God saw her, and she called Him El Roi.

Many of us know what it feels like to be in a wilderness season, abandoned, overlooked, or mistreated. Maybe your voice doesn’t carry in the spaces you long to be heard. Maybe you feel invisible. The story of Hagar reminds us that you are never unseen. Even in the wilderness, God sees you. He calls you by name. He meets you at the place of your deepest pain and speaks promises over your future.

So if you are walking through a wilderness moment right now, take heart: El Roi still sees. He saw Hagar, and He sees you too.

Gratitude: This week, I am grateful for the God who continues to blow my mind by doing more than I can imagine,  more than I have the language for. For Hagar He was Jehovah El Roi, the God who sees. For me He is Jehovah Blow My Mind because He keeps exceeding my expectations.

On my playlist this week is The Way You Father Me by Elijah Oyalade.

Gratefully

PS. You can check out some photos from my Bulawayo trip  here. Send a connection request whilst at it. On LinkedIn, I share more on Marketing and Leadership.