Year of the Bible: Part Two of Twelve Sample

The God who Sees.

Hagar, the maidservant, has fled her masters, Abram and Sarai, after being mistreated. She runs away, and as she gets deeper into the desert, she gets thirsty. Hagar finds a spring to get a much-needed drink of water, and we can only imagine, is very upset. While she is near the spring, "the Angel of the Lord comforted her, and He informed her that she was pregnant with a son. Having run away from Sarai, she found herself in different difficulties. She was cut off from her household, which was her means of survival, leaving her exposed to the possibility of dying in the desert.

However, Hagar had an encounter with God that she did not see coming!! Here's the scene. The Angel of the Lord asks her rhetorical questions. Questions He knows the answer to, and she answers Him. Then, He tells her to go back to her mistress and submit. He also gives her a revelation; she will have a son. AND, He promises her that he will greatly multiply her offspring. The Angel tells Hagar to name her son Ishmael and tells her why "For the Lord has heard your cry of affliction."

Can you imagine? The Angel of the LORD tells you that God has heard you. How in the world would you respond? The Baker Illustrated Bible tells us what Hagar did. "Now it is Hagar's turn to name somebody. And she names God (16:13) - she is the only one to do this in all the Bible. She calls him 'El-Roi", meaning 'The God who sees me' or 'God sees me.'"

Later, the commentators note, "Hagar ran away from Sarai and ran into God. These names stress not the gift she has received (a child) but the giver of that gift. A troubled, frightened, pregnant, non-Israelite girl encounters God in a desert and is never the same again."

Sometimes we find God in the oddest places. As for Hagar, she was looking for relief and found the God who saw her.

Question: In what area of your life do you need to meet God and be comforted?

Prayer Focus: Read this prayer over yourself or those with you. "God, you are the God who sees. You saw a servant girl from Egypt in her distress and met her there to heal and encourage her. Please help me to trust that you see me as well and that it is always your desire to heal and encourage me."