Hi Everyone!
Thank you for your patience. It has been a few weeks since I posted. I have so much to share and couldn’t decide what to share first.
I settled on one of my favourites. It’s funny how we can read something in the Bible, over and over, and all of a sudden God reveals the deeper meaning. It really caught my attention at a concert where Brian Doerksen shared about Hagar as a part of his message.
The life of Hagar is such an interesting story. It is timeless. One that we can relate to in a deep and personal way. What I love most is how God loved her and looked after her despite the trials she faced. I know what it feels like to have to walk through the tough times. There are times in our life when we cannot be rescued from our circumstances, and God walks with us through the valley. Rest assured, he leads us by still waters and comforts our soul.
Hagar was a slave. She was a foreigner; and she was a woman in a culture that did not give women equal rights. She had three very big strikes against her when it came to life. She was not living life the way I’m sure she dreamed. I feel like that is life; it often rolls out in front of us in unexpected ways and rarely meets our expectations.
In Genesis 16, it tells the story of how Sarai decided to give Abram her slave, Hagar, since she could not conceive. When Hagar became pregnant, she began to despise her mistress. In response to this, Sarai mistreated her. It was not ideal (putting that mildly). So, Hagar ran.
How many times we wish we could run, but we can’t. Life doesn’t work that way.
The angel of the Lord met her near a spring in the desert. The angel spoke to her “…the Lord has heard your misery.” Genesis 16:11 (NIV) He told her to name her son, Ishmael, and that God would increase his descendants; they would be too numerous to count. He blessed her.
“She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: ‘You are the God who sees me,’ for she said, ‘I have now seen the One who sees me.’” Genesis 16:13 (NIV)
The angel told her to go back. Of all things! I know…go back! Some things we must walk through, not around. God does not always take us out of our present circumstances. Hagar listened to the angel of the Lord and went back. Yet God continued to watch over her and he blessed her son. Ishmael became a great nation. When we cannot change our present reality, we can be assured that He is the One who sees us.
God is with you my friends! I can testify to all that God has walked with me through, and His love is amazing. The hope we have in Him does not disappoint.
Blessings!
Andrea