This is the first blog in a new series where I want to focus on God’s unfailing love, especially despite the actions of His people. I hope you find it an encouraging reminder to know that nothing “in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:39.
Sarah and Hagar. Two very different women from two very different worlds.Yet their paths collided in a way that would change God’s people forever.
Sarai (aka Sarah) was a Hebrew woman in the Old Testament, who was married to Abram (aka Abraham); a pillar/forefather of the Christian faith. Hagar was an Egyptian woman and served Sarah as her servant.
We see the majority of Hagar’s story in the book of Genesis, chapter 16. But to make more sense of that we need to glance at previous chapters (12-15) to see 3 things that God had promised to Abraham:
- That he will be made into a great nation; that his descendants will outnumber the stars in the sky (Genesis 12:2 and 15:5);
- That he will have a great name, meaning that his reputation would last for generations to come (Genesis 12:2); and,
- That all people on earth would be blessed through him (Genesis 12:3).
Now Abraham and Sarah were elderly and thought it ridiculous that they would be able to have children. In fact Sarah laughed when she heard it (Genesis 18:12). About 10 years had passed since God has promised these things to Abraham and Sarah and they didn’t see any sign of having children any time soon.
Unfortunately Sarah and Abraham decided to take things into their own hands and it was devastatingly at the expense of Hagar. Sarah said to Abraham, “The Lord has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my maidservant, perhaps I can build a family through her.” (Genesis 16:2).
What is recorded in the Bible are these words; “Abram agreed to what Sarai said. So after Abram had been living in Canaan ten years, Sarai his wife took her Egyptian maidservant Hagar and gave her to her husband to be his wife. He slept with Hagar, and she conceived.” A chilling description so void of emotion, it leads the reader to wonder if consent had been given. The next sentence makes us fear the worst. “When she knew she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress” (Sarah).
Sarah then continued to act in an unthinkable way and chose to mistreat Hagar. This poor woman. Pregnant, possibly assaulted, desperate, shattered, heartbroken, full of despair, her once probable hopes and dreams slipping through her fingers. She would have felt empty and desperate and the fact that this was at the hands of God’s people is unthinkable. And unforgivable. A gut-wrenching reminder that we all live in a broken, painful and sinful world.
In her desperation Hagar fled from Sarah. “The angel of the Lord found Hagar near a spring in the desert” (Genesis 16:7). The angel instructed her to return to Sarah and promised that she would have descendants too numerous to count, just like Abraham and Sarah. She was instructed to call her son Ishmael, meaning “God hears.” Verse 13 speaks to my heart so profoundly. It says that Hagar called God “The God who sees me.” What a beautiful image. In the middle of her darkest days and deepest pain, when she had lost everything and fled from her circumstances, Hagar was alone yet was seen and found by the one who made her. Invited into His loving arms, to find comfort and solace from her pain. By the one who loved her intimately. The one who called her His child.
The same invitation is waiting in your life for you. What an incredible blessing.
Life on earth is messy, no matter who you are. It can be ugly and difficult and painful. Yet God knows that. He has gone before us, He knows every detail of what has happened in the history of the world and he knows every detail of what is yet to come. He sees you no matter what situation you’re currently facing and he will be with you in all of your tomorrows. You can trust Him. You can depend on Him. God is the only constant in our world. He will guide you and lead you. You just have to reach out and let Him.
We have the choice, like Hagar, to either feel buried and overwhelmed by our pain, or to look up, out of the pit of despair. To see that there is a Heavenly Father longing to hear from us. He is waiting patiently for us to remember that He is in control and that He knows the next step for our lives.
Whether you’re a believer in Jesus or not, each day in your life is a crossroad. We are all faced with thousands of decisions each day that can either honour or dishonour God. I wonder which you will choose today.
For personal reflection: Why do we all find it so hard to wait? We are all in such a hurry that we see signs of impatience everywhere we turn. Horns honking in traffic, tv ads being fast forwarded or avoided altogether thanks to Netflix, wishing your way through the sleepless nights of newborns or the taxi service days of primary aged kids, people relating more online rather than in person because it’s a whole lot quicker and easier to text than pick up the phone, or there’s the girlfriend questioning “why won’t he just hurry up and propose, already?” Confession time: I am guilty of every single one of these.
We often get so fed up waiting that we resort to taking things into our own hands.
I think it was Sam Haywood, Young Adults Pastor of St Paul’s Generation Ministry who said “let Jesus take the weight out of your waiting.” God longs to help you carry the burdens that are weighing you down. Don’t forget to turn to Him first, rather than you relying on your own strength. (Easier said than done, I know).
Dear Lord,
Thank you for the words of Isaiah 40:11, which show us your good, good heart, “He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart.” You are the shepherd of those who have been hurt, torn apart, left in their pain and oppressed. Thank you for tending to all our needs and for being the true source of healing. Please restore joy, hope and courage to all those who need it today.” Amen.
BB
“As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:15.
