EL ROI - God Who Sees with Lois McKee

May 23, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: The Desert Spring Where God Sees Your Hidden Pain

Hagar sat alone at a desert spring, convinced her suffering went unnoticed. But God met her there, calling her by name and validating her worth. He sees the private battles others dismiss—the shame that keeps you silent, the wounds buried beneath survival. His vision pierces through isolation, not to condemn but to restore. Every tear, every stifled cry, matters to Him. [22:46]

"Then she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, You-Are-the-God-Who-Sees; for she said, 'Have I also here seen Him who sees me?'"
(Genesis 16:13, NKJV)

Reflection: What area of your life feels most unseen or misunderstood? How might acknowledging God’s attentive gaze shift your perspective?

Day 2: Running From Graves Into the Voice That Calls

Like the woman thrown at Jesus’ feet, we often let shame chain us to tombs—addictions, regrets, identities that reek of death. But Christ’s voice shatters graves. He sees the whole story: your worst choices and His redeeming plan. The call to “come out” isn’t about earning worth but embracing the One who names you “uncondemned.” [04:41]

"When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, 'Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?' She said, 'No one, Lord.' And Jesus said, 'Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.'"
(John 8:10-11, NKJV)

Reflection: What “grave” have you been sitting in? What practical step could you take this week to run toward His voice?

Day 3: Waiting at the Sink of Impatience

Sarai and Abram’s rushed plan to “help God” birthed chaos—much like dumping water into an unhooked sink. Waiting feels passive, but true waiting is active trust. It’s fixing your eyes on the Plumber who sees the leaky places, not scrambling for buckets. God’s delays aren’t neglect; they’re invitations to lean into His perfect timing. [10:42]

"I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord!"
(Psalm 27:13-14, NKJV)

Reflection: Where have you been “pouring buckets” instead of praying? How can you practice patient trust today?

Day 4: Gentleness That Arms You for War

David credited his strength not to swords but to God’s gentleness—the same tenderness that stooped to write in dust before confronting accusers. Our battles aren’t won through force but through yielding to the One who disarms strongholds with mercy. His gentleness isn’t weakness; it’s the forge where true resilience is shaped. [30:26]

"Your gentleness has made me great. You enlarged my path under me, so my feet did not slip."
(Psalm 18:35, NKJV)

Reflection: When has God’s gentleness disarmed your defensiveness? How might His kindness be your weapon in current struggles?

Day 5: Walls That Fall When You Walk Forward

The Red Sea didn’t part until feet touched water. Walls crumble when we step toward God’s “impossible” commands. Like Hagar returning to Sarai or David facing Goliath, obedience unlocks miracles. What looks like a dead end is often a doorway—if we’ll trust the God who sees the path hidden beneath waves. [28:50]

"For by You I can run against a troop, by my God I can leap over a wall. As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him."
(Psalm 18:29-30, NKJV)

Reflection: What “wall” have you been avoiding? What would it look like to take one bold step toward it this week?

Sermon Summary

El Roi, the name Hagar gives God in Genesis 16, sets the tone as the God who sees. God sees personally, individually, lovingly, and hopefully. God does not watch to shame but to save, not to note a problem but to redeem every room in a life, not just a corner. The song language lands here too. “Chains break at the weight of your glory.” The grave becomes an exit when God calls a name. The God who sees calls people out of tomb-things.

Jesus, in the story of the woman caught in adultery, shows how seeing works. The room gets seen. The crowd is seen, the angry Pharisees are seen, the woman on the floor is seen, and love lands on all of them. Jesus stoops, waits, and answers so that everyone has a moment to consider. “Let him who has no sin throw the first stone.” Stones fall, but the greater gift is the opened door to a changed life. Some take the moment. Some let it pass. God, in mercy, brings moments back again.

Genesis 16 puts impatience on the table. Sarai and Abram reach for a shortcut because waiting hurts. God has already spoken promise, but the plan gets “helped.” Waiting until exhaustion is not waiting. It is impatience. Psalm 27 answers with a different posture. “I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord.” When Hagar conceives and despises Sarai and Sarai blames Abram, God still sees the heart beneath the behavior and aims at each person’s part. Wisdom does not start by sorting out their fault but by letting God address mine. Proverbs 19:3 reads the mail.

The angel of the Lord finds Hagar by a spring and calls her by name. God invites her to speak her hurt, then gives hard direction with a promise. “Go back and submit” is not cruel. It is the way out when joined to “I will increase your descendants.” Ezekiel’s cry matches the heart. “Turn and live.” Psalm 18 fills in the resource. God lights the lamp, arms with strength, trains hands for war, and, most surprising of all, rules by gentleness. “Your gentleness has made me great.” The path may be lit one step at a time, but with God walls get leaped.

Hagar names God El Roi. She is seen. She returns. Courage looks like going back with a word from God in the pocket. The enemy says unseen, uncared for, unimportant. The cross says otherwise. God sees the way forward. Trust listens, obeys, and waits. God’s way may not feel easy, but it always turns out best.

Key Takeaways

1. El Roi sees to redeem God’s sight is not surveillance. It is rescue. The gaze that found Hagar is the same gaze that lifts shame, restores dignity, and plots a future. The name on Hagar’s lips is permission to stop hiding and start hearing. [31:17]
2. Impatience multiplies pain, waiting matures trust Sarai’s plan solves today’s ache yet seeds tomorrow’s conflict. Waiting is not passivity. It is active confidence that God’s word will carry its own weight. Strength grows when the soul resists the urge to fix what only God can finish. [10:42]
3. Own your part before God Blame talks loudly, but God speaks to the heart that will listen. The fastest way through a tangle is to let God address what is mine, not rehearse what is theirs. That shift turns prayer from courtroom to workshop and opens the door to real change. [14:06]
4. Hard obedience carries a promise “Go back and submit” sounds impossible until it is paired with “I will increase.” God’s commands are never naked. They come clothed with presence and future. Faith steps into hard places holding a word that outlasts the difficulty. [27:36]
5. God’s gentleness trains real strength David names gentleness as the secret behind his might. Divine tenderness does not make people soft. It makes them steady. Under that gentleness, hands learn warfare, fear loosens, and walls turn into thresholds. [30:26]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:32] - El Roi, the God who sees
[01:24] - Seen in childhood pain
[02:25] - God wants every area redeemed
[05:12] - Jesus and the adulterous woman
[06:44] - Stones drop, hearts invited to change
[09:23] - Genesis 16 read and missteps
[10:42] - Waiting on the Lord, not fixing
[13:40] - God addresses personal responsibility
[16:25] - Mistreatment, flight, and unwise counsel
[18:39] - Roadblocks, freedom, and choices
[22:46] - Angel meets Hagar by name
[27:36] - Hard return with a promise
[28:27] - Strength, gentleness, and soaring over walls
[31:17] - Hagar names El Roi and returns

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
- Genesis 16:1-13 (NKJV)
Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children… So Hagar called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, “You-Are-the-God-Who-Sees.”
- John 8:1-11 (NKJV)
Jesus went to the Mount of Olives… “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”
- Psalm 18:35 (NKJV)
You have also given me the shield of Your salvation; Your right hand has held me up, Your gentleness has made me great.

Observation questions

In Genesis 16:13, what name does Hagar give God, and what does it reveal about her experience of Him?
How did Jesus respond to both the Pharisees and the woman caught in adultery in John 8:1-11? [05:12]
What specific instruction did the angel give Hagar in Genesis 16:9, and what promise accompanied it?
According to Psalm 18:35, what surprising quality does David credit for his strength?

Interpretation questions

Why might God have asked Hagar to return to Sarai (Genesis 16:9) instead of letting her escape the difficult situation? How does this relate to His promise to her?
In John 8:7, Jesus says, “Let him who is without sin cast the first stone.” How did this statement address both the Pharisees’ hypocrisy and the woman’s need for grace? [06:44]
David says God’s gentleness “made me great” (Psalm 18:35). How can gentleness—not just power—train someone to overcome challenges?
Why does impatience often lead to greater pain, as seen in Sarai and Abram’s actions (Genesis 16:1-4)? [10:42]

Application questions

When have you tried to “help” God’s plan (like Sarai and Abram) instead of waiting? What happened, and how could Psalm 27:14 (“Wait for the Lord”) reshape your response next time? [10:42]
The Pharisees focused on the woman’s sin but ignored their own. Is there a situation where you’re quick to point out someone else’s fault but slow to acknowledge your part? What step could you take to “own your part” first? [14:06]
God told Hagar to do something hard (“Go back and submit”) but paired it with a promise. What difficult obedience is God asking of you right now? What specific promise from Scripture could you hold onto while obeying? [27:36]
David called God’s gentleness the source of his strength. How might embracing God’s tenderness (instead of self-criticism or shame) help you face a current struggle?
The enemy whispers, “Unseen, uncared for, unimportant.” Which of these lies do you most struggle to resist? How could the truth of El Roi (“The God who sees”) shift your perspective this week?
Hagar returned to Sarai with courage. Is there a relationship, habit, or situation you’ve been avoiding that God is calling you to confront? What practical step could you take to “go back” with His promise in mind? [31:17]
The sermon mentions “waiting is active confidence.” What does “active” waiting look like for you in a current season of uncertainty? (Example: Praying daily? Serving others? Memorizing a promise?)

Sermon Clips

42s

#TrustAndWait

“God saw Sarai and Abraham carry out their plan, not his plan. He had already told them what he planned to do, but it seems like they both feel like they need to help him with it. And I know I've done that myself. And I just wrote, you know, don't get anxious and go out on your own. Take that moment to consider and to pray and ask God what to do, and then give thanks that he heard you and that he sees you. He sees your situation. You know, waiting until you're tired really isn't waiting, it's called impatience.”

56s

#TurnToGodNow

“Man, I just see him, he just he knows if you just turn around, you're heading towards victory. You're heading towards salvation. You're heading towards redemption. We don't think we can turn, but we can because we've got him. Listen to his heart. Why will you die, people of Israel? But he says that to all of us. Why will you die? Why would you do that? Come to me. He's life. God sees what's ahead. He warned them. He warns us, but we ignore the warning. If you did ignore, repent. Turn around. It's not too late. The enemy's a liar.”

42s

#SeenAndVictorious

“He parted the sea. He brought down walls. He opened prison doors. He brought people through fire. He raised the dead. He shut lions' mouths. He silenced the storm. He made the universe stand still until the battle was won. What an awesome god he is, the one who sees us and calls us by name. You know, the enemy wants you to feel unseen, uncared for, and unimportant. He wants you to stay stuck in whatever you're in that you need victory over. But I'll tell you, it's a lie. You are seen.”

31s

#PourOutListenReturn

“You're seen. We're all seen by God because we're important to him. We matter. He has a plan for us. She poured out her heart to God, and then she listened. She heard that there would be difficulty, but she returned. She knew it wasn't gonna be easy. It might seem hard sometimes. It might seem unfair. But if God's telling you to do it, it's the right thing to do. It's the way out.”

41s

#PrayBeforeReacting

“You know, God has such wonderful things for us if we just come to him first and take time to pray, take that moment to consider. Don't make it worse with how we handle it like Sarai did speaking harshly and like Hagar did running away. You don't run away from things. You take them with you anyway. So take that moment with him. Remember, God understands. He sees our situation. Everybody in here probably has something going on and they're probably all different. But God sees each one of us and he sees what we're going through and he knows the way to get you past it, through it, out of it, over it.”

37s

#GodArmsMeWithStrength

“You know, sometimes there's a wall in the in the way, but with God, what can happen? He can leap right over that wall. That wall can come falling down. Trust God. Get moving. For who is God except the Lord, and who is a rock except our God? It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. Man, this is David. David, the mighty great warrior. Who is he giving credit for this strength? It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect.”

42s

#StepOutInFaith

“Now, he may ask us to do hard things, but he'll be with us and he'll supply all we need as we step out in faith. He never said he's gonna ask us to do everything easy. There may be hard things you your mind and heart may tell you, can't do that. I can't do that. Or they they would never let me do that or this would never work. But that's faith when you step out, even when it doesn't seem like it would work, doesn't seem like it's right, seems like it could be difficult, you do it anyway. And he also gives us promises to hold onto, to focus on, words that encourage us and we can rise up in him to overcome.”

33s

#GodIsGentleInMess

“Now you wouldn't think David, that those would be words from David, but David says it's the gentleness of God. He's so gentle. In the midst of our mess, even when we've done it to ourselves, even when we haven't listened to what he said, he's so gentle with us. He's kind and loving, and he wants to show us how we can get out of this. He sees the exit. What a description of life under the direction of God who sees us. David had that. I want that too.”

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EL ROI - God Who Sees with Lois McKee

Devotional

Day 1: The Desert Spring Where God Sees Your Hidden Pain

Day 2: Running From Graves Into the Voice That Calls

Day 3: Waiting at the Sink of Impatience

Day 4: Gentleness That Arms You for War

Day 5: Walls That Fall When You Walk Forward

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

EL ROI - God Who Sees with Lois McKee

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