It is hard not to feel compassion for Hagar when reading her story in Genesis. She was an Egyptian slave belonging to Sarai and Abram. Sarai couldn’t conceive, so she came up with a plan to have a child through Hagar. She discussed it with Abram, he agreed, and Hagar was given to him. No one asked Hagar what she wanted. When she realized she was pregnant, she despised Sarai. When Sarai realized the mistake she made, it was too late. She blamed Abram for the entire thing, and in frustration Abram told her to do whatever she wanted with Hagar. Sarai was cruel to Hagar, so she ran away. The angel of the Lord found her sitting by a stream in the desert—I’m sure she was crying. He tells her to go back to Sarai and submit to her. He told her that she would have a son, and to name him Ishmael. He promised Hagar that she’d have more descendants than she could count because the Lord had heard her misery. She called Him El Roi, the God who sees me. God saw Hagar’s misery—He sees yours too. He’s always looking and listening. He’s always near.