To me, the more names you have, the more loved you are. Sometimes it is a distortion of your real
name. For example, I often call Lettia “Lett-cha”
because that is how my iPhone voice command pronounced her name and it’s funny
to me. Other times it’s just an outright
nickname that has no association with your real name, like when I call Rachel Bear
Cub because there was a time when I got protective of her and my “momma bear”
came out. Or, I often call Kelsey “Kelsey
Belle” just because it kind of rhymes.
All are a sign of love.
God (and Jesus) has many names too.
Jehovah, Yahweh, Lamb of God, I AM, Lord, Savior, Great Shepherd, Author
of Salvation, Emmanuel, Messiah, Son of Man, and El Shaddai are just a few
examples from a long list of names.
In response to my post titled “He Speaks,” I got an email from my
Southern-speaking cuz, Kristin, and she told me about a name of God I had never
heard before. The name
El Roi (El raw-EE) translates “The God who sees me.” During this season of uncertainty and pain,
this name is comforting and reassuring and I have meditated on it often. To my knowledge, this name is used only once
in the Bible. In Genesis 16, Sarai was
very jealous and despised Hagar because she was able to conceive a child before
her, so Hagar fled from her and went into the desert. An angel found her by a spring and told her to
go back and submit to Sarai and then he told her the future of her son,
Ishmael, and that the Lord had heard her misery. She responded by giving God the name, “You
are the God who sees me,” and then she said, “I have now seen the One who sees
me.”
It is so incredibly comforting to know that God sees
me. He is El Roi. He sees my struggles. He sees my pain. He sees my joy. He sees my worship. I am struck by Hagar’s comment of “I have now
seen the One who sees me.” Because God
sees me, I can see him better. If I am
to believe that he receives my worship and praise, then I have to believe that
he sees my struggles. One would not be
true without the other. If God sees me,
then isn’t He allowing Himself to be seen?
God showed Himself several (I can’t say that word without
that scene from Spanglish coming to mind!) times recently. I saw Him in the God-incidences (I don’t
believe in coincidences) that my Bible study sisters shared this week. I saw Him in people loving on me. I saw Him in Dr. Pearse as she called m last
night (What doctor do you know of that gives you her personal cell number and
calls you at night?) and gave me a great laugh to help me put Dr. I’s
appointment in perspective.
So, if I can see Him, He MUST see me. El Roi!!
My favorite Whitney Houston song comes to mind, “I Look To
You.”
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