The One who sees me

Out of the many things I love about the Wesley house, one of my favorites has to be living with Anna. Not only is she fun and kind and wise, but she has a knack for pointing me in the right direction. Earlier this week she mentioned Genesis 16, and the story of Hagar. She had been mistreated and used and I can't imagine the desolation that she felt. But the Lord stopped her, telling her instead to turn around and return to her jealous mistress. Now I'll turn to the text since I feel like I'm failing miserably at this summary...
"The angel of the Lord said to her:
'You are now pregnant and you will give birth to a son. You shall name him Ishmael, for the Lord has heard of your misery...' 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.'"
Just as the Lord saw the misery of Hagar, a misused servant who lived thousands of years ago, so he sees us. He sees all of me, my good moments and my ugly ones, and he loves me still. I think that's amazing. He sees me when I'm lonely and I feel like no one really sees me. That means I'm never alone. So I wanted to share this with you and encourage you that just as the Lord saw Hagar and just as he sees me, he sees you as well.