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
It seems
every Christian gets to this point at least once in their lifetime, the point at
which they wonder whether God is still with them.
“God, where
are you?” the believer whispers. “God, why have you left me alone?” others
hazard to conclude.
This teaching
is meant to motivate you and also strengthen you so that you will face
difficulties with faith and courage.
It is
usually when one goes through difficult times that one wonders if God is still
with them.
Consider
Hagar. She had fled home because she had been mistreated by Sarai. Evidently, Hagar
was in the wrong for despising Sarai, the hand that had fed her, but that’s
beside the point.
After
fleeing from Sarai, Hagar went into the desert, a place of extreme difficulty.
I don’t think Hagar knew where she was headed. I don’t think she had any
specific destination in mind; she was just escaping mistreatment.
You can
appreciate the situation Hagar was in at the time. In describing the gravity of
Hagar’s circumstances, the Bible says she was in misery (Genesis 16:11).
It usually
is in such situations of need that one wonders whether God is still with them.
“God, where are you when I need you the most?” Hagar must surely have queried
in her heart.
Now to the
encouraging part: “The
angel of the LORD found Hagar near a spring in the desert; it was the spring
that is beside the road to Shur.” Genesis 16:7
A spring is “a source of water” (Wikipedia). Imagine finding this in the
desert, probably the hottest of places!
The above-cited verse is truly inspiring. I take two lessons from it:
The first lesson is that God sees you even when dark clouds obstruct
your own vision. You don’t seem to see Him. You think He has abandoned or disowned
you. Yet you are never out of His sight!
Consider Hagar. In her predicament, and probably not expecting any help,
expecting to perish, the Bible says, “The
angel of the LORD found (her)…”
The angel of the LORD found Hagar only because the eye of the LORD had been
on her all the time; God never looked aside, even for a second.
If God’s eye can be on a sparrow always, how could it not be on you too?
The second lesson is that in every situation, whatever your
surroundings, there is always a spring nearby. Hagar was in the desert, a very
difficult environment, and yet there before her, was a spring, probably the
source of the most needed provision in such high temperatures!
Whatever your surroundings, and whatever your circumstances, there is
always a spring (of water) nearby. You will never die of thirst. Know this.
So, never lose your focus. Your gaze should always be on Christ, and not
on your challenges, for Christ is the spring that can cool down your difficult circumstances!
He alone can quench your thirst and pull you out of that crater.
Saying this is one thing; practicing it in real-life situations is
another. But that is exactly what we are encouraged to do, to walk the talk, even
though it may be extremely difficult at times. For what would we benefit from
acting contrary to this encouragement?
It is what you believe that would either sustain or break you in difficult
times and situations.
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
Beautiful.
Please
consider taking this teaching to heart.
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