Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. And she went and filled the skin with water, and gave the lad a drink.
Genesis 21:19
How many of you can relate, Your immediate supervisor asks you to do something for them. You are unsure because it is their job, you do it, and are quite fruitful in your endeavors. You receive praise and special attention from their boss. They now begin to berate and threaten you because of their own jealousy and insecurities. You are now stuck in a place where you feel lost and underappreciated. You feel like running….
This was the real-life situation Hagar found herself in. In Genesis, she was the handmaiden of Sarah whose womb was closed and was barren. When God gave Abraham and Sarah the promise of a son, they couldn’t fathom the miracle that would be the result of this, so Sarah decided to give her maid to Abraham to bear a child. Hagar finds herself in this tough situation with a jealous mistress she was only trying to please and pregnant with the child of her mistress’ husband.
While this sounds like a Daytime drama storyline, many of the elements in this message do ring true for us. Feeling set aside, used, underappreciated, and alone. Feeling like you are invisible, alone, unheard. Feeling insecure in the person that you are, not sure if there is a purpose for you.
I want to draw our attention to a few things in this story. First, while Hagar was suffering abuse, insecurity, and loneliness. She was pregnant, there was hidden potential inside of her. She couldn’t see it, but it continued to grow within her. Like Hagar, there is a hidden potential in each of us, through the challenges of what is going on in this life, there is fruit to grow.
Secondly, though Hagar ran, God chased her and found her. Genesis 16 says: The angel of the Lord found Hagar near a spring in the desert; it was the spring that is beside the road to Shur. And he said, “Hagar, slave of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?”
This simple fact is reason enough for a praise break! She ran, he found her and called her by name! He was concerned with her, both her past and her future. This gives me hope, because there have been days, weeks, where my phone doesn’t ring, or chirp except to get an email subscription. There are nights when I am not certain I am on the right path, or tears fill my eyes because of a thought of what could be and hasn’t yet happened. There are moments when the doubt is present, and I question the plan.
At the end of this passage, in verse 13, Hagar gives the Lord the name El Rai, which means God Sees Me. How awesome is it to know that in those times of insecurity, you can draw security from the fact the GOD sees you. He sees you, he knows you, and he acts.
Rest in this fact, and use this name as you speak to Him today!
Prayer: Lord in Heaven, hear my pleas. I long to know your plans for me. I long to hear you call my name! Thank you Father for knowing me, for pursuing me, and for keeping me! In Jesus’ name, Amen