Dear Sister,
I found an unlikely source for this month’s topic: Hagar, Sarai’s Egyptian maid in Genesis 16. When her name comes up, Abram has already been promised a son by the Lord, through whom the creation of a new nation would come. This son had not materialized in a pregnancy of her own, so Sarai determined the baby must need to come through her maid, Hagar. In due time, Hagar was pregnant and suddenly disdainful of her mistress. Sarai, whose objective was met in her maid’s pregnancy, was furious with her maid’s new attitude and treated her (with Abram’s approval) accordingly. So, Hagar ran away.
The Lord met Hagar in the desert and told her to return to her Sarai and submit to her authority. He said that Hagar’s descendants would be too many to count. And, He noted her affliction.
He did not take away her pain, trials, or frustration. In fact, He told her to go back to them and face them. He told her He was going to bless her with many descendants, but her son (who God called Ishmael: “God hears”) would be a man full of struggles.
Hagar’s story certainly did not have the fairy tale ending for which we have a proclivity. Her story was one of difficulty and disappointments—she never rose above her servant status; but then we read Hagar’s words in Genesis 6:13, “Then she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, ‘You are a God who sees’; for she said, ‘Have I even remained alive here after seeing Him?’” The Bible records an obstinate servant girl’s name for God! El Roi – God sees.
In the midst of our affliction, especially those of us who are believers—children of the promise through the blood of Jesus Christ—we can be confident that He is El Roi. He sees, works with and through our trials to bless us, to perfect us, to bring honor to His name through us. God does not idly flip through the channels of our lives, missing our pain. Rather, He meets us in our deserts, confronts us and blesses us even in the dust. He sees!
Running with you,
Rebecca