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b'In the church where I grew up, we enjoyed the accompaniment of two primary instruments during the hymns we sang: the piano and the organ. On rare occasions, one of the deacons might play his guitar during worship music. So, when our youth choir was given the opportunity to include a tambourine in a performance, I volunteered to play.\\nI was handed the little percussion instrument with no instructions. I\\u2019d had a few years of piano lessons, along with one year of middle school band. I figured I would simply shake the tambourine to the beat of the song.\\nWith each rehearsal, we improved\\u2014myself included, or so I thought. But then the day before the performance, I was told that my playing wasn\\u2019t on beat, so the tambourine was being removed from the ensemble.\\nWithout any coaching to help me improve or any demonstration on how to use the tambourine, I\\u2019d lost the chance to add more music to our church\\u2019s service. I felt overlooked and sidelined. Couldn\\u2019t they see how hard I was trying, how much I wanted to learn and do my best?\\nIn the Old Testament, Hagar knew how it felt to be overlooked and dismissed. Hagar was a slave to Abram and Sarai\\u2014the old, barren couple God had promised children to. They became impatient with God, so Sarai told Abram to marry and sleep with Hagar, hoping they could bypass God\\u2019s plan and have children through her. This was a common practice at the time, but God was not okay with it. Hagar, sadly, had no choice but to obey, and she became pregnant. Then Sarai treated her so harshly that Hagar ran away. Alone in the desert, she heard God speak to her. In response, Hagar used a new name for the Lord: \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153You are the God who sees me\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d (Genesis 16:13).\\nIn times when we feel invisible, we can turn to the Lord. He loved us so much that He sent His Son, Jesus, to die and raise from the dead so He could forgive us and make us His children if we put our trust in Jesus. The God who saw Hagar is the God who sees us too. \\u2022 Allison Wilson Lee\\n\\u2022 When have you felt overlooked? Was it difficult to turn to God in those times? Why or why not? \\n\\u2022 How can God\\u2019s truth encourage us when we feel invisible? \\nBut the Lord watches over those who fear him, those who rely on his unfailing love. Psalm 33:18 (NLT)\\n\\xa0\\nRead Verses:\\nPsalm 32:8; Mark 6:30-44; John 6:1-14; 1 Peter 4:10-11'