The One Who Sees Me

I will be the first to admit that I've never focused much on the story of Hagar.  Hers is a story of being overlooked and overshadowed.  In the Bible, she is tied to the story of Abraham and Sarah, and for obvious reasons, their story overshadows Hagar's.  BUT, that doesn't mean that just because she is a minor character that God can't show us great truths from her story.  In fact, if history has proven anything to us, it is that God often uses the minor to make things major! 

Hagar was the slave of Sarah.  Sarah had given Hagar to Abraham to produce a child for him (Genesis 16:3).  Sarah was great in age and did not believe herself capable of children but wanted Abraham to have descendants.  After Sarah found out that Hagar was pregnant, which was what Sarah had wanted to happen in the first place, Sarah began to mistreat her.  She mistreated her so much, that Hagar ran away. 

It's here that Hagar's story really begins.  Hagar was wandering in the wilderness when an angel came to her.  Upon questioning where she was coming from and where she was going, Hagar admits to the angel that she is running away.  Running away from the mistreatment, the shame, from injustice, from despair.  Upon hearing her reply, the angel responded in a way that many of us might not have expected - he tells her to go back (Genesis 16:9)!  Go back to the prejudice and injustice and despair.  Go back to a mistress that doesn't appreciate her.  Go back to a job that she isn't happy with.   It's here that many might begin to question God's decision....why put someone through that?  But in His great wisdom, God was planning out Hagar's redemption story.  He promises that if she will return, He will multiply her offspring, so many so that she will not be able to count them all.  He even tells her how to name her child. 

Hagar's response to the angel is one of my favorite verses in the Bible.  "So she named the Lord who spoke to her; 'You are El-roi' for she said, 'In this place, have I actually seen the one who sees me?'" (Genesis 16:13)  Hagar may not have understood how or why her life had taken the turns that it did but she was certain after her encounter that she could face them with a new outlook and a promise for her life.  She didn't have to tell God how bad things were or what injustices she had faced, God already knew....He had seen her!  He knew what she had come from and He knew where she was going.  How wonderful to know that God doesn't miss a step.  He sees what we struggle with, He sees what grieves us, He doesn't allow us to hide from our problems - and yet He doesn't leave us alone.  He is there always beside us, walking with us in love and truth, to help us navigate the trials of life and show us their purpose.  How wonderful that God sees us just as we are, just where we are, but doesn't deem to leave us there!  

If you are struggling, remember that Hagar's story is one of redemption and hope; she shows that we can come out of the wilderness that is life and fulfill our purpose for God's greater mission.  She shows us that though we may struggle that God sees that struggle and will reward us for staying faithful and "fighting the good fight".  She also reminds us that we have seen the One who sees us.

What's YOUR burning bush?

When God wanted Moses to go and rescue the Israelites from bondage in Egypt, He caught Moses' attention through a burning bush. God probably knew that ANYONE would stop when seeing a tree on fire that was NOT being consumed. God knew he would need to wake Moses up and used some pretty dramatic imagery to do so. What's your burning bush? Has God been trying to get your attention to complete a mission He has set aside for you? Has the business of life caused you to miss your burning bush? Has the fear of failure caused you to turn away and ignore God trying to get your attention? Life is busy, trust me I know! Just this morning I was looking at my calendar and every day is getting fuller and fuller, but we all need to take time to breathe and ask God to open our eyes to the things that He wants us to do. Let's try this weekend not to get so caught up in our "busyiness" that we forget to tune in to what the Lord has for us. I pray this weekend that you seek from the Lord and ask Him how you can best fulfill the mission He has for your life. I pray you keep your eyes open for YOUR burning bush!

But then...

How often do we find ourselves out on the boat in the middle of the storm?  The waves are crashing and threatening to overtake us, the lightning is striking nearby, and the fear is threatening to send us back to the safety of the shore.  Sometimes the storm is in our minds, so tangled in our daily lives that it is always threatening to start.  Sometimes the storm is in our jobs, watching others rush ahead of us that we wonder if our boat is leaking.  Sometimes the storm is our marriage, so complicated and volatile that we can’t see a way to the sunshine again.

But no matter what storm we are facing in our lives we have a God who can calm the storms and offers peace.  The key is that we must trust, believe and have faith.  Even the disciples struggled with this.  In the middle of a lake, in the middle of the storm, they struggled to remember that Jesus would always care for them and that God held them in the palm of his hand.  As the waves battered the boat and the winds whipped them around, the disciples cried out in fear of perishing.  But there in the middle of the lake, walking on the water was Christ.  He admonished the disciples for having little faith and wondered why they were so afraid (Matthew 8:26).  But then, instead of questioning them more about why they couldn’t believe him, why they didn’t trust that He would keep them safe, He calms the storms.  The wind quiets down and the waves still.

That’s the thing about God, He always has a “but then”.  No matter how much we question him or how much our faith lacks when the storms of life batter us, God always comes through.  He may not stop the storm like Jesus did for the disciples, but He will take our hand and help us guide the boat through the storm.  He will walk with us until we come out on the other side and see the sunshine.  God calms the tumult of his people in the midst of their storms (Psalm 65:7), the only thing He asks is to have faith.