Sunday Morning 1st Service | I Am #1 | Pastor Rob Thomas

Apr 19, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Seen in the Desert’s Heat

Hagar crouched by a desert spring, her tears mixing with the dust. Pregnant and alone, she’d fled abuse from Sarai’s household. The angel of the Lord found her there and asked, “Where have you come from?” God saw her humiliation, her fear, her unborn child. He named her slave of Sarai yet called her to return with a promise: “You will have a son named Ishmael.” Hagar gasped, “You are the God who sees me!” Her wilderness became holy ground. [59:53]

El Roi doesn’t miss a single detail of your struggle. He sees the shame you hide, the loneliness you dismiss, the exhaustion behind your smile. Just as He tracked Hagar’s steps through barren land, He traces your hidden wounds. This isn’t passive observation—it’s intimate, fatherly attention.

When you feel invisible this week, pause. Whisper El Roi aloud. What specific pain or fear have you been carrying alone?

“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 the One who sees me.’”
(Genesis 16:13, NIV)

Prayer: Ask El Roi to reveal one area where He’s been watching over you unnoticed.
Challenge: Write down three words describing your “desert” and circle the one you’ll surrender to God today.

Day 2: The God Who Names Your Pain

Hagar didn’t need solutions first—she needed to be seen. God called her by status (“slave”) and situation (“fugitive”), yet still offered dignity. He renamed her son Ishmael (“God hears”), transforming her story from abandonment to divine purpose. The same God who counted Hagar’s tears in Genesis 16 sees your unspoken battles: the medical scan you dread, the marriage tension you minimize, the addiction you rationalize. [01:06:21]

El Roi’s vision pierces through facades. He isn’t shocked by your mess or impressed by your masks. His sight always leads to action—comfort, direction, or correction. When Hagar embraced being seen, she found strength to walk back into Sarai’s house, trusting God’s promise over her fear.

Where have you substituted “I’m fine” for raw honesty with God? Name one struggle you’ve been sugarcoating.

“Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.”
(Hebrews 4:13, NIV)

Prayer: Confess one hidden struggle, thanking God He already sees and cares.
Challenge: Replace three “I’m fine” responses today with truthful, brief answers.

Day 3: Provision on the Mountain

Abraham gripped the knife, his son bound on the altar. For three days, he’d wrestled with God’s command. Yet when Isaac asked, “Where’s the lamb?” Abraham declared, “God himself will provide.” At the last moment, a ram’s horns snagged in a thicket. Jehovah Jireh—the Lord who sees ahead—had already planted the solution before the crisis. [01:22:53]

Jehovah Jireh doesn’t react—He anticipates. Your financial shortfall, relational fracture, or health scare didn’t surprise Him. Like the ram, His provision often arrives unexpectedly but precisely. Abraham’s test revealed God’s nature: He doesn’t demand your “Isaac” to punish you, but to prove His faithfulness.

What “Isaac” have you been clutching—a dream, relationship, or security blanket—that God is asking you to place on the altar?

“Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son.”
(Genesis 22:13, NIV)

Prayer: Thank Jehovah Jireh for one past provision as proof He’ll meet today’s need.
Challenge: Identify one “mountain” causing anxiety and write “Jehovah Jireh” at its peak.

Day 4: From Seeing to Supplying

Hagar’s story (El Roi) and Abraham’s test (Jehovah Jireh) share the same Hebrew root: ra’ah—to see. God’s sight always leads to supply. He saw Hagar’s desperation and gave direction; He saw Abraham’s obedience and gave a ram. Your needs aren’t separate from His gaze—they’re invitations to trust His vision. [01:24:36]

Modern life screams, “Strive harder!” God whispers, “I’ve already seen to it.” Financial lack? He’s your provider. Emotional exhaustion? He’s your sustainer. When you fixate on the how, you miss the Who. Jehovah Jireh’s resume includes manna in deserts, oil in empty jars, and resurrection after crucifixion.

Where are you striving instead of surrendering?

“And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.”
(Philippians 4:19, NIV)

Prayer: Ask God to shift your focus from “How will this work?” to “Jehovah Jireh is able.”
Challenge: Write a need on paper, then cross it out and write “HE SEES” over it.

Day 5: The Lamb Already Provided

Centuries after Abraham’s ram, another Lamb died on a nearby mountain. Jesus—God’s ultimate provision—was “caught” in the thicket of humanity’s sin. El Roi saw every failure; Jehovah Jireh supplied the sacrifice. The cross proves God both sees your deepest need and meets it completely. [01:30:24]

You’ll face deserts and mountains, but never alone. El Roi walks with you through valleys; Jehovah Jireh climbs summits ahead of you. When you feel unseen, remember Hagar’s spring. When overwhelmed, recall Abraham’s ram. Your story is sandwiched between “I see you” and “I’ve got this.”

How would your week change if you truly believed God both sees and supplies?

“So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, ‘On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.’”
(Genesis 22:14, NIV)

Prayer: Thank Jesus for being the Lamb who covers your greatest need—sin.
Challenge: Share one instance of God’s provision with someone today.

Sermon Summary

A new series titled "I Am" explores how the names of God shape daily identity, trust, and response to struggle. The teaching argues that every time a person says "I am," those words echo God's self-revelation, and so understanding divine names reshapes how life is lived and how problems are faced. Two names receive particular attention: El Roi — "the God who sees" — and Jehovah Jireh — "the Lord who provides." The story of Hagar in Genesis 16 illustrates El Roi: in the wilderness of rejection and shame, God meets the overlooked and names himself the One who sees, turning despair into reassurance and practical direction. This presence means that hidden grief, sleepless anxiety, and private failures no longer require performance; being known by God allows honesty, rest, and renewed perspective.

The narrative then turns to Abraham and Isaac in Genesis 22 to reveal Jehovah Jireh. Abraham’s obedience on the mountain models surrender amid confusion; God’s provision — a ram in the thicket — arrives at the precise moment, demonstrating that divine provision often appears in ways and timing beyond human expectation. The two names connect: the same God who notices deserts also supplies the necessary deliverance on the mount. Practical implications follow: speak identity consistent with God’s character, stop carrying burdens meant for God, and practice surrender when circumstances demand faith without clarity.

Application moves from theology to daily discipleship. Listeners receive concrete prompts: identify the desert being walked, name the need that keeps waking at night, and verbally replace worn self-declarations with God-centered truth. Surrender functions as a posture that opens God’s provision; naming God’s seeing produces comfort and refocus. Ultimately the teaching roots provision in the cross — the ram as foreshadowing of the Lamb — and invites a shift from striving to trust, from hidden shame to transparent reliance on the God who both sees and supplies. The invitation closes with worship and an appeal to leave destructive self-talk behind while embracing the narrative that God sees, supplies, and transforms.

Key Takeaways

1. The God who sees me God’s sight is not merely observation but an identity — God is the One of seeing. To be seen by God removes the compulsion to perform and frees honest vulnerability; it reframes loneliness into covenant presence and changes decision-making from proving worth to receiving care. That recognition invites rest in the reality that hidden pains and private failures do not disqualify one from tenderness and guidance. [67:45]
2. Surrender unlocks God's provision Obedience in uncertainty opens access to provision that fearful control will never secure. Abraham’s ascent toward sacrifice models how surrender does not negate faith but activates God’s response in ways that calculation cannot predict. Surrender reframes asking into trusting that God will rightly order both means and ends. [81:53]
3. Provision often precedes understanding Divine provision can exist before human comprehension; God frequently positions the resource (the ram in the thicket) prior to visible need. This pattern calls for patient waiting and an awareness that timing and form of supply may not match expectations but will meet real needs. Cultivating trust in unseen provision counters anxiety-driven attempts to manufacture outcomes. [87:44]
4. Speak identity aligned with Scripture Words shape soul-trajectory; the habitual phrases "I am..." form character and destiny. Replacing deficit-driven self-statements with declarations rooted in God’s names reorients the mind and invites transformative behavior. Regularly naming God’s truth over personal narratives cultivates resilience and a posture of reliance rather than performance. [102:11]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[49:24] - Opening greetings and livestream
[51:34] - Warrior Center event announcement
[52:27] - Series introduction: "I Am"
[53:00] - Knowing God reshapes life
[54:45] - "I AM who I AM" (Exodus)
[58:13] - El Roi introduced: God who sees
[60:28] - Hagar's story in the desert
[67:45] - Meaning of El and Roy
[75:30] - Jehovah Jireh introduced: Provider
[76:53] - Isaac's birth and the command
[81:53] - Abraham's obedience on the mountain
[90:05] - Jesus as the ultimate provision
[94:19] - Application: seen and supplied
[98:25] - Invitation to worship and prayer

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Genesis 16:7-13 (ESV)
The angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness... 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.”

Genesis 22:13-14 (ESV)
And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns... So Abraham called the name of that place, “The Lord will provide.”

Exodus 3:14 (ESV)
God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.”

Observation Questions

In Genesis 16, why did Hagar feel unseen, and how did God respond to her in the wilderness?
What specific action did Abraham take in Genesis 22 that demonstrated surrender, even when God’s command seemed confusing?
How does Exodus 3:14 connect to the idea that our daily “I am” statements reflect God’s identity?

Interpretation Questions

Why might God have allowed Hagar to experience rejection and isolation before revealing Himself as El Roi (the God who sees)?
Abraham named the place Jehovah Jireh after the ram appeared. What does this act of naming reveal about how we should respond to God’s provision in hindsight?
The sermon linked El Roi and Jehovah Jireh as two sides of God’s character. How does His “seeing” relate to His “providing” in practical terms?

Application Questions

What “desert” are you walking through right now (rejection, anxiety, exhaustion) where you need to declare, “El Roi sees me”? How could this truth shift your perspective? [59:07]
Identify one area where you’ve been striving to control outcomes instead of surrendering to God’s timing. What step could you take this week to release that burden to Jehovah Jireh? [26:31]
The sermon warned against negative “I am” statements (e.g., “I’m overwhelmed”). What false declaration have you spoken over yourself recently, and what biblical truth (e.g., “I am seen” or “I am provided for”) could replace it? [42:11]
Abraham trusted God’s provision before seeing the ram. Where in your life do you need to act in obedience now, even if the “ram” isn’t yet visible?
The pastor said, “God’s provision often precedes understanding.” When has this been true in your life? How can that memory strengthen your trust in current uncertainties? [27:44]

Sermon Clips

22s

#LordWillSeeToIt

“The Lord will see to it. How many of you have a situation in your life that you have worried and worried and worried and worried yourself silly over, kept yourself awake at night, and what you need to do is stop and realize and remind yourself that the Lord's gonna see to it. It's not your business. It's not your job to carry that weight and that burden. The Lord's gonna see to it.”

32s

#SurrenderForProvision

“Provision usually comes through surrender. So, guys, Abraham had to obey. He didn't understand. We don't understand reading that story. How could God ask a dad to do that? But it means we press forward even when we don't understand. It means we trust him. It means we, like Abraham, if god commands it, we bring our Isaac to the altar. Okay. Okay. And we say, lord, I trust you.”

35s

#GreatIAmSeesYou

“Guys, here's the deal. The great I am sees you totally and completely. Again, you no longer have to hide or pretend. He sees it all. And because the great I am sees you, he also provides, and you no longer have to strive or live in anxiety. Understanding the truth about this can change everything in your day to day life.”

30s

#GodIsMoreThanEnough

“He is the God of more than enough. He is all in all. He is everything that you need. And you can walk out of this place with your head lifted a little more high than you came in because you're buying into the truth. You're just finally surrendering those things that you're carrying that you weren't meant to carry. Guys, and keep your eyes open. Because as you start doing this, God's gonna start showing up in unexpected ways in your life.”

29s

#WhenNoOneSeesYou

“And so here she is. She's walking. She's she's alone. She's got the hot sand under her feet, and, you know, fear probably gripping her heart in the midst of all this, hopelessness, all the questions that are swirling around in her mind. She's going, you know, why in the world is this happening to me? I didn't ask for this. I gave them what they wanted, and now I'm the one being punished for it. Nobody sees what I'm going through. Nobody cares.”

32s

#GodOfSeeing

“This is what the kind of the picture invokes here. She said, the god who sees me. Actually, in a literal translation of this is because the god who sees me, what I don't like about that translation is it's all it's it's it's inferring something that god does. Oh, god looks and he sees me like it's an action. In reality, the literal translation would be the God of seeing me. So it's not what he does, it's who he is. He is the God of seeing.”

40s

#StopPerformingGodSees

“He sees the shame of past mistakes that you continue to carry. He sees the loneliness that you feel even in big full rooms like this. Guys, this promise means that you don't have to perform and you don't have to pretend. So give yourself a doggone break. Stop pretending. Stop performing. He knows and he sees. He is the god of seeing you. He knows every thought. He knows every hurt. He knows every disappointment.”

29s

#ElRoyExplained

“So you got the word El. She calls him El Roy, the god who sees me. El meaning the mighty one. Roy comes from a Hebrew word root word ra'ah, and it means to look upon or to perceive. So if you were to think about this in the natural sense, imagine you've got your little toddler and you've got them at a playground, and you've been playing with them and doing all the stuff, but they're doing fine. They're playing over here in the grass, and they're doing their thing, and you're tired, and you finally decide to take a seat.”

28s

#HiddenStrugglesMatter

“Have you ever felt like nobody notices what you're carrying? The the the the quiet pain behind the scenes, the the the the late night tears that you cry, the sense that you feel invisible in your own life. I think we've all been there at different points. Have you ever felt rejected? Have you ever felt alone? Have you ever felt like god himself was so distant?”

18s

#JehovahJirehToday

“Guys, look back over your life. How many times does god come through in ways that you didn't expect and at times that you didn't expect? Yeah. He is still the same god. That same Jehovah Jireh, that's still who he is for you today.”

16s

#GodHasProvisionReady

“God has already got provision prepared for you. He is Jehovah Jireh, the god who provides, and you gotta understand that you are not alone on that mountain, that he not only sees your need, but he meets your need.”

24s

#StopStrivingWatchGod

“And we stop striving and we stop worrying ourselves and we stand back and we watch god move. What did we say? The lord will see to it. He sees you, and he knows what you need, and he has unlimited resources.”

26s

#EveryIAmMatters

“We were created in his image. And every time you speak about yourself, you are invoking the name of God. Whether you're a believer or a non believer, every time you speak his name, every time you say something about yourself, every time you refer to yourself, every time you say I am, you're echoing the name that God gave us to introduce himself.”

27s

#GodMeetsYouInTheDesert

“Hagar's in this position. She's broken. She's running. She's in the midst of her pain, and and not not only that, but she feels invisible in the midst of her pain. She feels used and abused, rejected, and alone. And in the midst of that, utterly invisible, unseen. But right there in the middle of the desert, in her deepest trouble, God meets her.”

25s

#HeMeetsEveryNeed

“He knows every need you have in your life, and he provides every kind of need. So, again, some of you may need financial provision. Maybe the bills are piling up or or maybe you need strength for another day. You are so weak and so fatigued and you're so tired. He has all the strength that you need. Maybe you need wisdom. Maybe you need wisdom with a difficult child.”

41s

#BeingSeenBringsHope

“He sees you, and he meets you right there in the midst of your wilderness. He meets you in your darkest moment, in your darkest place. He's there. He is the God of seeing you. The third promise in this, being truly seen brings real comfort and fresh direction. So Hagar goes from this place of total despair and isolation to a place of hope and reassurance because she recognized that she was seen. She recognized that she was not alone. And the same god who finds her who found her in the desert sees you today wherever you are.”

28s

#RamInTheThicket

“God already sees your tomorrow's need. Yes. He's already prepared for it. He's got it ready to go. He's got your ram caught in the thicket. That thing that you're looking for that you need so desperately, he's already he's already there. But can you be patient? Can you allow for his timing? You know, sometimes we get what we ask for.”

29s

#NotInvisibleToElRoy

“He sees you in the desert season. So, your desert season, it looks different for all of us. Maybe your your desert season is financial stress or maybe it's a broken marriage or maybe it's maybe it's maybe it's grief, maybe it's health struggles, maybe it's just loneliness or or just the daily grind that leaves you feeling just utterly empty and alone. Like Hagar, you may feel rejected, you may be feel forgotten, but you are not invisible to Elroy yi.”

26s

#GodSeesWhatNoOneElseSees

“God sees what no one else sees. How many of you are thankful for that? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. How many of say that brings a little bit of comfort? Because there's things going on in your life right now that nobody else sees. There's things going on in your heart and your mind that nobody see. There's struggles that nobody else knows about. He sees. He knows. He sees the exhaustion behind that smile that you keep putting on your face.”

30s

#AbrahamKeptWalking

“With every step that he took, every mile that he walked probably felt like the deepest loss of his entire life, and he kept walking. He kept obeying step after step. Fear, sorrow, and things that probably tried to capture his heart. Yet Abraham keeps walking, keeps trusting that God knows what he's doing. God's gonna provide.”

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