El Roi, Do you see Me?An Oxymoron or Paradox?

Have you heard of the term, oxymoron? What about the term, paradox?

According to Merriam-Webster, an oxymoron is a combination of contradictory or incongruous words (such as cruel kindness). Below are a few examples of oxymorons:

Old news, Working holiday, Bittersweet, Same difference, Original copy, Honest thief, Silent scream, Minor crisis, Small crowd, Brawling love, Loving hate, Heavy lightness, and Serious vanity

LOL, one of my favorite oxymorons is the description used, "slim-thick," LOL.

Now, a paradox is defined as, a statement or argument that seems to be contradictory or to go against common sense, but that is yet perhaps still true—for example, "less is more."

In Genesis 16:8-13 (you can Google it as well) (read it when you can; actually, start in chapter 15 from reference), this is where we first see the term, El Roi. Quick recap of how we get to El Roi:

• "El Roi" is a Hebrew phrase meaning, "The God who sees me," or, "The God who sees" given to God by Hagar in the Bible, signifying God's awareness and presence in her life.

• Key people, Hagar, an Egyptian slave who was mistreated by her mistress, Sarai; an angel of the Lord and God, Himself.

• Once you read the chapte, you'll get to THIS VERSE (13) that is a life changer, "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[c] the One who sees me.”

  
  
  
  

I want you to take a moment to think of the courage and boldness of Hagar in the wilderness, to name God, El Roi, based on a promise He made to her. What have you been through in your life where you were faced with a wilderness moment or, even a moment where you thought God had truly forgotten about you?

Under your breath, have you whispered "God, do you see me?" Do you even care?"

What happens now, after this miscarriage? Am I able to produce again? What happenes after this stillborn? Should I ever trust you, again? Why did my baby die? What was it all for? Why was I raped? I had an abortion, do you still see me as, your daughter? Why didn't this marriage last? Why did my business fail, AFTER I consulted you? Where did I go wrong? Why did they still die, AFTER I PRAYED? I feel embarrassed and like an idiot, still hoping in WHAT YOUR WORD SAID? God, in real life---I have A LOT OF QUESTIONS, the main one is, DO YOU SEE ME and WILL YOU RESPOND?

While I cannot answer your questions, I can say that the fact that you are reading this and still here let's me know that deep down, there is still hope that you are holding on to, and willing to BET on El Roi...again. In Romans 10:11, it reads, "Anyone who BELIEVES in Him, will not be put to shame." Belief means, you put your hope, faith, assurance in trust in someone/something. The scriptures never lie, and neither can God. Take the time to listen to your heart and allow your spirit to connect to your hope again that, El Roi SEES YOU! While you may feel ignored while still believing in God, both can be true. Is this an oxymoron or paradox? That's for you to discover while maintaing the FACTS... God is STILL EL Roi!

Even in the wilderness, similar to Hagar, believe that God will send you a word that He SEES YOU!

Hoping with you,

~Starling