Feeling Overlooked? Meet the God Who Sees

There is a certain kind of tired that only a handful of people might understand: the fatigue that comes with being faithful yet feeling invisible.  The fatigue of doing the work that keeps everyone else going while thinking quietly, “Does any of this even matter in the end?”

Scripture has a word for that ache: El Roi, meaning “the God who sees.”

Hagar: Seen Where She Is Not Wanted  

In Genesis 16, Hagar is a woman on the fringes: an enslaved Egyptian, pregnant, mistreated, and running away from home into the desert. She had just been used and discarded. She is not the “protagonist” of anyone else’s story, but her own simple story.  Yet it is in this deserted wasteland, not a grand palace or holy temple, that the angel of the Lord encounters her, addresses her, and reveals her future (Genesis 16:7–12).

Hagar, in response to this one-of-a-kind moment, gives God a name: “You are the God who sees me,” she says, “I have now seen the One who sees me.” (Genesis 16:13). The thing is, it took feeling unwanted to encounter God for Hagar because it wasn’t until then that she discloses that she has finally seen God, experienced God in a new way.

Hagar stands for every woman who has walked through life feeling like a footnote in someone else’s story: quietly doing the work that keeps everyone else going, yet treated as if she doesn’t belong as a part of the main story plot.

Notice what God does not do to this mistreated woman. He doesn’t dismiss her pain or tell her she’s overreacting, as many of us have by those around us.  He acknowledges her, addresses her, and makes it clear that life has value because of what she brings.

If you have ever thought, “I’m just too much to deal with” or “I’m just too little to matter,” Hagar’s story is gently showing that God is not overlooking you.  He sees you, by name, right where you are.

Tabitha (Dorcas): Whose Life Shakes a Whole City

In Acts 9:36–42, we meet Tabitha, who is also called Dorcas. Tabitha’s story is concise yet beautiful: “She was always doing good and helping the poor” (Acts 9:36).  Tabitha’s work is hands-on and practical:  making clothes, caring for widows, doing what needs to be done so that no one goes without.  This kind of ministry may never get the masses’ attention, but it meets people where they are.

When Tabitha dies after falling ill, the community’s response is telling. The widows gather around her body, weeping, and show Peter “the robes and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them” (Acts 9:39). They hold up the things she made for them.

Peter prays, and God brings her back to life.  This moment became so well known that it became “known all over Joppa, and many people believed in the Lord” (Acts 9:42).

Tabitha never gave a sermon that anyone recorded.  She never built a megachurch.  God saw how she lived, loved the servants of the poor, and cared for them, and he took notice and brought her back to life.  This dedication moved the hearts of people.

If you have ever felt like, “I’m just in the background” or “I haven’t really done anything major with my life,”  imagine people all over holding up the things you have made for them (e.g., meals, rides, texts, prayers, etc.).  And saying, "Look at what she did for us."

With God in the mix, the “background” is never background to Him.
The Bible repeatedly points us to people that the world regarded as “background” people:

Women supporting Jesus’ ministry: Luke tells us about the women who supported it.  Luke names three women: Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Susanna.  They were “who were helping to support them out of their own means” (Luke 8:1–3).

Women at the cross and at the tomb: While most men are fleeing from the cross, women find themselves at the cross (John 19:25) and at the tomb (Luke 24). These are not supportive roles in God’s story. They are the main roles. But for most of these women, I imagine, there have been seasons when they felt like you do sometimes... ordinary, unseen, and just doing what needs to be done. Meeting the needs around you.

Jesus has something to say for the seasons of feeling unseen, too: “Your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you” (Matthew 6:4). Nothing you do in the name of love for God or for others is invisible to Heaven. Not one late night. Not one tear. Not a private act of generosity.

When you feel unseen: Shifts to Make  
Feeling unseen is not a failure of faith; it’s being human! We sometimes carry a lot without very much recognition through relationships. Here are a few suggestions on how to realign yourself with Truth if you find yourself in this season:

1. Put a name to it

Take a few seconds to jot down what feels a bit burdensome right now. The logistical decisions. The emotional labor. The spiritual push. Not to justify yourself but to simply name it. Then bring that list to God in prayer. “Lord, You are El Roi. You see every one of these things. Help me feel noticed by You here in these areas.”

2. Let specific Scriptures speak into your worth

Sit with verses that slowly remind you who you are compared to who God is. For example:

“You are the God who sees me.” (Genesis 16:13)

“Your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” (Matthew 6:4)

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.” (Colossians 3:23)

These aren’t magic words to make your hurt disappear, but a simple reminder that your Audience is bigger than you realize. He sees it all.

3. Let others see you too

While your worth needs to be anchored in God’s seeing, it is also okay to want human recognition through relationship. You can tell a loved one how you’re feeling and ask them to hold you in mind. That is what being in community is all about. In fact, Hebrews 10:24 says, “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.” Let other people lift your spirits! Let them cheer you on! More often than not, they will also remind you of ways your presence and faithfulness have touched their lives in ways you never realized.

You Are Not “Just” Anything

You are not “just” a mom, “just” a volunteer, “just” the planner, “just” the woman who people always come to for help. You are a woman known by name to El Roi, the God who sees.

Hagar met God in the wilderness of being used and discarded. Tabitha’s quiet service moved a whole city when God raised her from the dead. The same God sees you, in your hidden sacrifices, your quiet yeses, your long prayers in the middle of the night, or your long faithfulness in small ways that no one picks up on.

Remember: The world may not always notice, but Heaven already has.