Every year it seems someone asks me what my word for the year is going to be. Often with a minute or two of thought I come up with something. For 2021 it was “kindness” – I won’t go into why.
A few weeks ago, once again, I received an email from the facilitator of a Leadership Cohort I am a part of, asking us to be thinking about our word for 2022. One of the other Cohort members responded that she felt she was being led by the Lord, instead of having a word for the year, to select one of God’s names for the year. Instantly, I knew which name I was going to select. El Roi.
There are many to choose from for our God is infinite and glorious. El Roi means The God who sees. It comes from the story of Hagar in Genesis 16 in which after she becomes pregnant by Abram, “…she looked with contempt on her mistress.”(16:4) “…Then Sarai dealt harshly with her, and she fled from her.” (16:6)
The angel of the Lord found her by a spring in the wilderness and tells her to return to Sarai. She was to name her son Ishmael “…because the LORD has listened to your affliction.” (16:11)
So she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, “You are a God of seeing,” for she said, “Truly here I have seen him who looks after me.”(16:13)
This name of God has a special place in my heart. A number of years ago, I was in the midst of a relationship struggle over which I had no control. I didn’t speak of it much but I carried it in my heart, my broken heart.
One morning, my daughter called and said, “Mom, while I was praying this morning, I felt God impress upon me to call you and say, ‘I see you.’” When I heard her words, it was as if God Himself spoke those words to me. The tears began to fall. I was reminded that in the midst of life, the joys and sorrows, the trials and victories – God sees me. That brought comfort to me then and still does when I call to mind this truth.
My prayer is that in 2022, I will grow in my knowledge and love for El Roi- The God who sees me.
May God be glorified in and through us as we seek hard after Him this coming year.
Blessings,
Diane Hunt
Written by Diane Hunt: Diane Hunt serves on the board of America’s Keswick and is the Executive Director & CEO of Changed Choices, a Christian non-profit in North Carolina. She is also a biblical counselor and women’s event speaker. For more information about having Diane speak at your next event please contact her at dhunt@americaskeswick.org.
Think About This: “We must not offer people a system of redemption, a set of insights and principles. We offer people a Redeemer.” ―
The Daily Bible Reading: 1 Timothy 3 | You can download our 2021 Daily Bible Reading Plan by clicking here.
