From birth, we attempt to fulfill our wants/needs by our own means. Genesis 16 records a time such as this. God promised Abram that He would make him into a great nation and bless him greatly, but his wife Sarai was unable to conceive. Instead of waiting for God’s perfect time, Sarai gave her Egyptian maidservant (Hagar) to Abram to bear children for them. When Hagar became pregnant, she despised Sarai, and Sarai told Abram this was his fault. To be honest, he did have a choice in the matter, right? Like Adam and Eve, both Abram and Sarai fell short of God’s will when they did things their way. Abram told Sarai to do as she wished with Hagar. Scripture tells us that Sarai mistreated Hagar, and Hagar ran away.
But, the angel of the Lord met Hagar in the desert near a spring, telling her he would give her descendants too numerous to count. He told her to return to the camp and submit to Sarai. He told her to name the child Ishmael. Hagar’s response is a familiar passage. She named the Lord “El Roi, the God who sees me”, saying “I have now seen the One who sees me.” Hagar wasn’t part of God’s plan, but He knew what would happen. He knows our weaknesses and uses every circumstance to draw us closer to Himself. Ishmael’s tribe would be a source of continuous conflict with the house of Israel. The consequences of disobedience are long lasting. Praise be to our Father who works things out for our good even when we fall short. Sometimes, it is through suffering that we come to the end of ourselves and remember that God is waiting for us to “lift up our eyes unto the hills from whence our help comes.” (Psalm 121:1)
What are the takeaways in this story? Our Lord loves us! He knows our hearts are desperately wicked and loves us anyway. He left the glory of heaven to die on a cross, taking our punishment. He came to give us the sure hope of heaven to be with Him forever. He sees all we do, knows every thought we have, and hears every word we speak. He knows the very number of hairs on our heads. He knew us before we were born, and He knows when we will take our last breaths. None of us are hidden from His sight. The God who sees us is the God who waits for each of us to repent, to confess Jesus as Lord, and to follow Him. He asks us to trust Him at His Word. John 3:16 tells us: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” Run to Jesus. He’s waiting for you.
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