Overcomer for the OVERLOOKED: The God who sees me

In Genesis 16, Hagar (servant to Sarai/Sarah and Abram/Abraham) is struggling with feeling mistreated and overlooked. Things are a mess - Hagar is rude to Sarai, Sarai is terrible to Hagar, and Sarai and Abram are fighting. Then– 

Genesis 16:6 | Abram replied, “Look, she is your servant, so deal with her as you see fit.” Then Sarai treated Hagar so harshly that she finally ran away.

But God sees Hagar in her struggle– 

Genesis 16:7-10 | The angel of the Lord found Hagar beside a spring of water in the wilderness, along the road to Shur. The angel said to her, “Hagar, Sarai’s servant, where have you come from, and where are you going?” “I’m running away from my mistress, Sarai,” she replied. The angel of the Lord said to her, “Return to your mistress, and submit to her authority.” Then he added, “I will give you more descendants than you can count.”

Genesis 16:13-14 | Thereafter, Hagar used another name to refer to the Lord, who had spoken to her. She said, “You are the God who sees me.” She also said, “Have I truly seen the One who sees me?” So that well was named Beer-lahai-roi (which means “well of the Living One who sees me”). It can still be found between Kadesh and Bered.

• How is Hagar feeling in Genesis 16? Have you ever felt this way yourself and if so, when?

• How does God show His love for Hagar? What do you think this experience meant to her? 

• Do you ever feel unseen? Who do you feel doesn’t really notice or care about you? Why? 

• Do you feel like God “sees you,” even in your struggles? Why or why not? 

• How has God shown you His love when you felt overlooked, mistreated, or alone?