Yes, He Sees You by Holly D. Sands

Under the Fig Tree

This past weekend, I began reading the Gospel of John, and among all the beauties of that first chapter, this is what really captured my heart:

“Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him and said of him, ‘Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!’ Nathanael said to Him, ‘How do You know me?’ Jesus answered him, ‘Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.’ Nathanael answered Him, ‘Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!’” (John 1:47–49)

Now, we aren’t told what Nathanael was doing under the fig tree. Maybe he was praying. Maybe he was just thinking. Whatever it was, he had gotten away by himself, and he believed no one was around to see him.

But Jesus saw him. “I saw you.” Nathanael’s reaction tells us everything. Jesus had never met him, yet He knew exactly where he’d been and exactly what kind of man he was. In that moment, Nathanael knew he was standing before Someone who saw what no one else could, and he confessed Him as the Son of God and the King of Israel.

And He still sees. He sees what is done, said, and thought in secret. He sees us when we think no one does. He sees us in our private devotions, hears our prayers, and takes note of every quiet moment we spend with Him. As Jesus said, “Your Father who sees in secret will reward you” (Matthew 6:6).

El Roi

Out of many examples in Scripture, there’s another one I find just as beautiful, and it’s in the Old Testament with a woman named Hagar.

Hagar had nothing going for her. She was a servant in someone else’s house, used and then mistreated, and she ran into the wilderness pregnant and alone. The angel of the LORD found her by a spring, called her by name, and told her, “The LORD has listened to your affliction” (Genesis 16:11).

Hagar’s response is one of the most beautiful moments in Scripture. She gave God a name, the God Who Sees, for she said, “Truly here I have seen Him who looks after me” (Genesis 16:13). El Roi.

He Sees What No One Else Does

Maybe you’re reading this and you feel more like Hagar than you’d care to admit. Maybe you’ve sat in the car in the driveway for a few extra minutes because you couldn’t face going inside yet. Maybe you’ve cried at 2 a.m. so quietly that the person sleeping next to you never knew. Maybe you’re carrying something heavy that no one at church, no one at work, and maybe not even your closest friend knows about.

God has seen it. David put it this way: “O LORD, You have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up” (Psalm 139:1–2). He’s been there for all of it, in every moment you thought you were on your own.

And those tears? He hasn’t missed a single one. “You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in Your bottle. Are they not in Your book?” (Psalm 56:8). Think about that. The God of the universe keeps track of every one of your tears, and He treasures them. Not one has been wasted, and not one has been forgotten.

Seen and Not Turned Away

Nathanael thought he was alone under that fig tree. Hagar thought she was alone in the wilderness. Both were wrong. The same God who found Hagar by a spring is the One who looked at Nathanael and said, “I saw you.” He hasn’t changed, and He sees you just as clearly today.

That might sound a little scary. Being fully seen means He sees the sin and the things you’re ashamed of, not just the tears. But here’s the beautiful part: He sees all of it and doesn’t turn away. If you belong to Jesus, “there is therefore now no condemnation” (Romans 8:1). The One who sees you most clearly is the One who went to the cross for you. And He’s not a distant observer either. “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses… Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:15–16). He sees you, He understands you, and He invites you to come close.

He Sees the Small Things

Maybe you’re not hiding anything. Maybe you’re just tired of doing the right thing with no one noticing. Like the text you sent to express your love and care for someone, only to be ghosted. The quiet prayer for a coworker who’ll never know you prayed. The money you put in the offering when you weren’t sure how you’d cover the week. Small things. Things nobody else would even count. But God counts them. “For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for His name in serving the saints, as you still do” (Hebrews 6:10). He hasn’t overlooked a single one.

With David, you can say, “I will rejoice and be glad in Your steadfast love, because You have seen my affliction; You have known the distress of my soul” (Psalm 31:7).

You are seen by God, my friend. You always have been.

____________________________________________________________________________

About the Author

Holly D. Sands has walked with Christ since 1983. She writes at He is My Song, helping fellow believers walk faithfully through every season with biblical encouragement, sound doctrine, and honest reflection.  She lives in South Carolina, where she and her husband, Shane Sands, are members of a local Baptist church. Shane's been called by God as an evangelist and leads United in Christ Jesus ministry. At home, they're joined by their idiot cat, Mister Bojangles, whose main contribution to the household is sleeping and eating treats.

© 2026 He is My Song. All rights reserved.