Daily devotion – Trusting in the Lord
Genesis 16: 6 Abram replied, “Look, she is your servant, so deal with her as you see fit.” Then Sarai treated Hagar so harshly that she finally ran away.
7 The angel of the LORD found Hagar beside a spring of water in the wilderness, along the road to Shur. 8 The angel said to her, “Hagar, Sarai’s servant, where have you come from, and where are you going?”
“I’m running away from my mistress, Sarai,” she replied.
9 The angel of the LORD said to her, “Return to your mistress, and submit to her authority.” 10 Then he added, “I will give you more descendants than you can count.”
11 And the angel also said, “You are now pregnant and will give birth to a son. You are to name him Ishmael (which means ‘God hears’), for the LORD has heard your cry of distress. 12 This son of yours will be a wild man, as untamed as a wild donkey! He will raise his fist against everyone, and everyone will be against him. Yes, he will live in open hostility against all his relatives.”
13 Thereafter, Hagar used another name to refer to the LORD, who had spoken to her. She said, “You are the God who sees me.”[fn] She also said, “Have I truly seen the One who sees me?” 14 So that well was named Beer-lahai-roi (which means “well of the Living One who sees me”). It can still be found between Kadesh and Bered.
15 So Hagar gave Abram a son, and Abram named him Ishmael. 16 Abram was eighty-six years old when Ishmael was born.
We have seen the wash up and the fall out of Sarai telling Abram to have a child with Hagar, Sarai’s handmaid.
Remember Sarai got upset with both Abram and took her anger out also on Hagar after they had carried out Sarai’s suggestion – to help God!
Hagar, took off as Sarai was bitter against her and headed for the wilderness in great sadness and there the Angel of the Lord met her weeping and upset on her way back to Egypt.
Hagar’s wilderness experience brought her face to face with God and taught her some important and powerful lessons we all can learn from.
She learned that God is the living God who sees and hears our cries when we hurt!
The name of the well where she met the Angel of the Lord means “The well of One who lives and sees Me.”
The God of the Bible is a personal God, and He is concerned about abused people – our world is filled with them – and unborn babies – see Psalm 139.
God knows our future and He cares for those who will trust in Him.
Hagar did return on God’s command back to submit herself to Sarah. Surely, she apologized for being arrogant, for despising her mistress, and for running away.
Hagar trusted God to protect her and her son and to care for them in the year to come. We all know that life’s problems are never solved by running away.
We are to submit to God, and trust Him to work things out for our good and His glory!