Genesis 16:1-18:15
Matthew 6:1-24
Psalm 7:1-17
Proverbs 2:1-5
While Hagar is on the run away from Sarah she encountered the Angel of the Lord who asks her two questions: "Where have you come from and where are you going?" In other words, what are you doing? Hagar was running possibly because she felt like an outcast, under-appreciated and insignificant. God dispatched an angel to let Hagar know that He knew what she was going through and that He was with her in spite of the struggles she was facing. Oftentimes, when I am going through tough circumstances that's all I need to know – that I'm not in it all by myself.
The angel tells Hagar that she will be the mother of innumerable descendants. Then, God gives Hagar this memorial of His attentiveness to her messy situation – "You will have a son…name him Ishmael [meaning, "God hears"]" (16:11). What a marvelous reminder! Every time Hagar calls her son's name she would remember that God heard her cries and would hear her again. She responds by giving God a name - El Roi (The God Who Sees Me) - saying, "Truly here I have seen him who looks after me" (v. 13).
No matter what our circumstances are, God DOES hear the cries of our prayers and He SEES everything that we are going through (Isa. 65:24; cf. Matthew 6:4, 6, 18). With that assurance, Hagar returns to her messy situation and endures! AMAZING! This assures me that God will give me [us] the strength to endure as well. And my strength to endure simply comes from knowing that God is there WITH ME in my mess (Matt. 1:23; Deut. 31:8).
Scripture References
Isaiah 65:24
I will answer them before they even call to me. While they are still talking about their needs, I will go ahead and answer their prayers!
Matthew 6:4, 6, 18
4 Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.
6 But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.
18 Then no one will notice that you are fasting, except your Father, who knows what you do in private. And your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.
Matthew 1:23
"Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means 'God is with us.'"
Deuteronomy 31:8
Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you.
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