The pain was excruciating, so I went to someone who advertised he could help. My husband accompanied me as moral support. As I described how devastated I felt, the man maintained eye contact. But that was the end; he never looked at or spoke to me again. He only conversed with my husband. Like Hagar, I felt invisible. I left his office with a clenched jaw and a hurting heart.

Feeling invisible is a rare occurrence for some, but for others, it’s an everyday experience. One who feels invisible has no face, no honor; she believes no one sees or cares about her. She’s a non-person, a tool for someone to use and discard, existing only to serve. Perhaps Hagar felt like that.

Hagar Rode a Visible/Invisible Honor Status Rollercoaster

From Visible to Invisible

According to one Jewish tradition, Hagar was an Egyptian princess given to Abram as payment when Pharaoh took Sarai into his harem (Genesis 12:16). If true, Hagar moved from having servants to being a servant, from honor to shame, from visible to invisible. 

From Invisible to Visible

When Sarai was unable to bear children, she instructed Abram to sleep with her slave (Genesis 16:2). The arrangement was acceptable in that culture and may have been part of Sarai’s marriage contract. Do you suppose Sarai asked Hagar whether she was willing? In the world of the ancient Near East, a slave woman could be seen as an incubator, a kind of womb-with-legs. We don’t know how long it took Hagar to conceive, but when she did, her honor status changed. She moved from shamed to honored, from invisible to visible. Since honor was considered a limited good, Hagar’s gain was Sarai’s loss.

Invisible Again

Reveling in her new-found status, Hagar taunted her mistress. In response, Sarai mistreated Hagar until she fled. Hagar became invisible again.

But Someone Saw Her

The angel of the Lord found [Hagar] near a spring in the wilderness…

Genesis 16:7, ESV

In Hebrew, wilderness means a place of devastation—the same word translated as formless in Genesis 1:2 and desert in Deuteronomy 32:10. John H. Walton (Genesis—Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary) noted, “In general it designates a situation in which positive values such as purpose and worth are lacking.” The word describes both Hagar’s physical and emotional location… and mine. 

Not only did God find Hagar, but he also knew her identity, her name (Genesis 16:8). Hagar might have felt invisible to Sarai, but she wasn’t to God. He saw her devastation. Then he sent her back, promising to increase her descendants, the same promise he’d made to Abram. God recognized Hagar’s worth and gave her life meaning and purpose.

Why did God send Hagar back? Perhaps so she could teach Abram and Sarai what she’d learned about God. Maybe so she and her baby would survive, or so her son would know his father. Whatever the reason, Hagar obeyed. Then she did something not done before—she named God.

She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me”

Genesis 16:13

Not just “the God who sees,” but “the God who sees me.” When Hagar felt invisible to everyone, God saw her and opened her eyes to his purpose. 

What Hagar Discovered in a Place of Devastation

When I found myself feeling devasted and invisible, I found comfort and strength in knowing “the God who sees me.” I discovered:

• We are never invisible to God. Our inability to see, hear, or feel his presence doesn’t change the reality of his presence with us. And he reaches out with compassion to give us purpose.
• We learn lessons in the wilderness that we can’t learn elsewhere. Times of devastation strip our bravado, revealing our insufficiency. Then we’re ready to listen to the One who is enough.
• We can find new beginnings in the wilderness as God opens our eyes to new opportunities. No matter how we arrive in a place of devastation, whether by our choice or someone else’s, God never intends for us to stay there. He wants to lead us through. From my place of devastation, God led me to a world of deeper purpose and meaning.

Regardless of how we feel, we’re never invisible. What is God saying to you? Where does he want to lead you? Will you obey?

The Bible version used is NIV unless otherwise noted.