Then God heard the boy's
cries, and the angel of God called to Hagar from the sky,
"Hagar, what's
wrong? Do not be afraid!
God has heard the boy's cries from the place where you
laid him (NLT).
This is one of my favorite stories in the Bible. Just think
of all Hagar has just gone through.
She’s been forced into a marriage, of sorts, with Abraham,
her mistress’s husband…all because Sarah didn’t have the patience to wait and
see how God would work out His plan in their lives (Does that sound familiar at
all?).
Then, because Isaac, the child of the promise, was finally
born, and then his half-brother Ishmael got jealous, Hagar and her son were
sent out into the desert with just a little food and one skin filled with
water. Imagine how lonely and betrayed Hagar felt!
As was sure to happen, the water ran out, and Ishmael began
to cry from hunger and thirst. Hagar couldn’t stand to watch her son die, so
she went off to a solitary place. But God heard the boy’s crying, and He knew Hagar’s distress. He tells Hagar not
to be afraid because even though their circumstances look bad at the moment,
God will turn Ishmael into a great nation. He and his mother would not die out
in the desert, after all.
Something even more wonderful happened. God “opened Hagar’s
eyes” (v. 19), and she saw a well of water and filled the skin up. And not only
was God with Hagar in that desert place, but He was with Ishmael the whole time
he was growing up (v. 20).
Do you see how amazing God’s protection, guidance, and
provision are? What is going on in your life that has you troubled right now?
Do you feel lonely and betrayed, as Hagar did? Are you in need of some
miraculous provisions from God? Look toward Him. Cry out to Him and ask for
whatever it is you need, and He will provide it, just as He did for Hagar. And
don’t forget to thank Him when your prayers are answered!
No comments:
Post a Comment