Text: Genesis 16:1-16
“So she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, ‘You are a God of seeing,’ for she said, ‘Truly here I have seen him who looks after me.’” —Genesis 16:13
Sometimes we just want to run—flee from all of our problems… the pain… the conflict… the drama and the stress. We can get so desperate that even landing in a remote desert somewhere all alone can seem charming. Obscurity becomes an appealing refuge. Such was the desperation of an Egyptian slave girl caught up in a toxic love triangle in the Bible.
Hagar was in some sense a “nobody.” She didn’t have power or agency over her own life. She became a part of a reckless plan to hurry the promise of God, in which the LORD vowed to bless Abram and the nations of the earth through his descendants (Genesis 12:1-3). Yet as Abram’s wife, Sarai, got older and remained childless, she had this crazy idea that Abram could go into the tent of Sarai’s servant, Hagar, impregnate her and manufacture God’s plan more expeditiously (Genesis 16:1-2). They failed to consider that God’s promise didn’t need the help of misguided human effort. With God, nothing is impossible (Luke 1:37). Trying to rush God, manipulate a situation, or manufacture a preferred outcome rather than waiting patiently for God to come through can be reckless and damaging.
I’ve always been struck by this passage in Genesis 16, that Abram never paused for a moment to consider with Sarai, “This might not be a good idea.” The English author Thomas Hardy was right in that “our impulses are too strong for our judgment sometimes” (Tess of the D’Urbervilles). Sarai’s rashness and Abram’s impulsive compliance are about to set in motion a rivalry between people groups that will carry over for generations to come. The origins to the enmity that exists today between Jews and Muslims can be traced all the way back to this particular incident.
Though Hagar wasn’t completely innocent of her own contribution to the household dysfunction (Genesis 16:4), she suffered abuse from her mistress, Sarai, causing her to flee to the desert. Interestingly, in the entire scriptural account of this saga, Sarai and Abram never refer to Hagar by her real name, only ever as Sarai’s “slave girl.” Yet when God encounters her all alone and distressed in the desert, He calls her by name: Hagar. What a dignity restoring moment this must’ve been for Hagar. We see shades of this in how she responds to God’s promise to take care of her and her offspring.
“So she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, ‘You are a God of seeing,’ for she said, ‘Truly here I have seen him who looks after me.’” (Genesis 16:13 ESV)
The story of Hagar is full of God’s goodness, the evidence of how the LORD always sees us regardless of the pain in the moment or the remoteness of our solitude. The God of heaven and earth looked upon Hagar in her distress, and she in turn calls Him “El-Roi”—“the God who sees me.” He is close to the brokenhearted and rescues those who are “crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18). He meets us in the desert… the desperation… the aloneness.
God sees us and promises us a better story is being written than what is realized in the moment. You can be assured of this, beloved. The circumstances in your life right now aren’t random. The drama isn’t arbitrary, and the hurt doesn’t have the last word. Our pain is never wasted in God’s economy. All things (even hard, prolonged and very painful things) work together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). Redemption is coming! God remains faithful to us even when we have been responsible for adding to the drama or dysfunction. His mercy is great, and His sovereign will is going to be accomplished despite our human feebleness.
PRAYER
God, thank you for loving us despite our human weakness. When we are without strength, ready to throw in the towel, you are always near. You never forsake your own. The desert cannot keep you away. The drama in relationships cannot thwart your goodness. Our own sin cannot overthrow your mercy. You are good, you are faithful, and you are the God who sees us in the brokenness. We bless you. We praise you. And we thank you for your love, faithfulness, and redemption in Christ Jesus. Amen.
Questions for Reflection and/or Group Discussion
- What happened after Hagar became pregnant? (Genesis 16:4-6)
- What happened to Hagar after she fled? What was the LORD’s command and promise to her? (vv.7-16)
- What did Hagar learn about God in her seclusion? What did she name the well and why did it become a memorial for her? (vv.13-14)
- The next time you are struggling with feeling alone, on which attributes of God will you choose to focus?
- What is one practical way you can remember God sees you in everything? What situation have you yet to surrender to the One who sees you?
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