JOY "Hagar" March 23

March 23, 2011
Flight Plan
Hagar------Genesis 16-21

I.    Who's the Boss
II.   Touched by an Angel
III.  Wandering in the Desert

"Dr. Charles Swindoll tells the story, about when his older daughter, Charissa, (her name means grace or charm) was a high school cheerleader. One day, at the church office, he got an emergency call from her school. The cheerleading team had been practicing, building a pyramid, for an upcoming game and she had accidentally fallen from the very top, and landed on the back of her head. To her amazement and to everybody else's, she couldn't move, at all!

He says that it took him about 15 minutes to drive from his study, at the church, to the school gym. He was praying the whole way, "Lord, you are in charge of this situation, I have no idea what I'm going to face when I get there------but you do. You are Almighty God, The Great Physician and The Creator of the Universe---you have everything in the palm of your hands------I am going to trust you, to work all of this out, for your glory and for our good."
When he got to the school, they already had Charissa immobilized, in a wrap-around stretcher. He says he slipped down to his knees beside her and took her hand and she said, "Daddy, I can't move my fingers at all and my feet and legs are numb and the rest of my body just seems to be tingling, all over."

At that moment, Dr Swindoll said, that he felt a cold fear, deep down inside his soul------but because he was her daddy, and daddies have to be brave, he leaned in close to Charissa, and whispered in her ear, "Sweetheart, I will be with you through all of this, but more importantly, Jesus will be with you. He is Lord over the whole event. There is nothing that has happened or that will happen, that He doesn't already know about."

He confesses that he and her mother, Cynthia, felt totally helpless, because, they had no control over the situation, or over the healing of their daughter's body. She was at the mercy of God. He says that he can still remember, how deliberate he was, in acknowledging Jesus, as Lord, in his own heart and encouraging Charissa to acknowledge Him, that way, too. The two parents, waited for hours, in the hospital hallway, while extensive x-rays were taken and a team of specialist physicians, examined their daughter.They prayed fervently and confidently, the whole time.

Today, Charissa is fine, physically. She recovered, with no lasting damage. She did have a fracture, but thankfully, it wasn't a permanently, paralyzing injury. But, Dr. Swindoll says that, even if she had been, permanently paralyzed----they would have still believed, that God was a good God and they would still have believed, that God was in sovereign control of Charissa's life, and they still would have believed, that God is Lord!

Hagar faced the exact same kind of fear and uncertainty in her own heart and life, as she ran, not once, but twice, into a future that seemed to be so dark, that she couldn't see beyond, the moment that she was living in----------We've all faced moments like that and we will all face them again--------but Hagar, came to the understanding that Dr. Swindoll did, and I hope that we have, that God is good and that He will still be good, no matter what circumstances we find ourselves in-----and no matter what happens in those circumstances, He will be, in total control, of our lives, and the lives of everyone around us----and that no matter what the outcome is, God will still be Lord!

I. Who's the Boss?

The war in Afghanistan has touched us all. Our TVs and magazines and newspapers have made the Middle East, as familiar to us, as our own United States is. And one of the most shocking cultural differences that we have been exposed to, is how harshly women were treated under the Taliban, and continue to be treated by the men, in their culture, in so much of the whole area. Americans, on the left and the right, politically, have been horrified, to see women imprisoned, in what looks like, a black tent, with eye holes. We have been intrigued and appalled, by those faceless, blue or black shapes, that seem to be everywhere in that part of the world. It seems like women are non-persons, there, like they don't really matter, at all, in their society

In the west, we pride ourselves, on being much more progressive and enlightened and way beyond those primitive attitudes-------but we need to be careful, that we don't put women, into imaginary burkas, with our judgmental and accusatory and elitist attitudes to- ward them, or, allow ourselves, to be put in one, by someone else's attitude, toward us. Every person, male or female, has been created in the image of God, and deserves the respect and honor, that reflects, His image.

In the case of Hagar, Sarah's handmaid, there was no debate, she didn't really count, on anybody's radar screen. In another place and time, or under different circumstances, she might have received a little more respect from other people and had a better opinion of herself------but by the time she enters of Abram and Sarai's story, she was already at rock-bottom----- she was a slave----and in the patriarchal culture------that meant that she was the lowest of the low. She was a lost soul, right from the start-----stuck on the wrong side of the racial divide, between Jews and Gentiles; trapped inside a cultural system that stripped her of her rights and her dignity and her freedom. When we read about her, we tend to add insult to her injuries, because we leave her flat, on the pages of scripture, like she is one of those lifeless, life-size, cardboard, celebrity, cut-outs, that you can get, at Paper Town. She seems so small and insignificant, almost invisible, next to the larger, legendary, figures, in her story. We tend to see her as a messy complication, caught between Sarai and Abram, that needs to be identified, but then, needs to be pushed, way far back, in the closet of their lives, and ignored.   
When we do that to her; we're the losers, though, because Hagar has a beautiful, healing message, that God intends for us to hear, and apply to our own hearts, every bit as much as He wants us to hear and apply, Sarai's message.

Hagar was an Egyptian, a Gentile and a foreigner. She was on the outside, looking in. Her gender and her race, alone, were enough, to make her life miserable, but they were minor complications, compared to her social status, as a slave. The scripture doesn't give us a record, of Hagar's genealogy, so, we don't really know, who she was. Legend has it, that she was the daughter of one of Pharaoh's lesser wives, and was given to Abram and Sarai, when he kicked them out of Egypt, after they had deceived him about their matrimonial status. This side of heaven, we won't know the truth, but whoever she was, she was an item, on the inventory, of Sarai's property list. It must have been horrible for her to wake up, one morning, to the news, that she had become somebody's property. (In his writings, the former American slave, Frederick Douglass, relived the dehumanizing experience form his own personal history: he wrote "Men and women, young and old, married and single; were placed on the same level, by intellectual and moral beings, with horses and sheep, and horned cattle and swine. Horses and men---cattle and women----pigs and children-----all held the same rank in the scale of social existence; and they were all subjected to the same narrow inspection, to ascertain their value in gold and silver-----which was the only standard of worth, applied by slaveholders, to slaves.

As the property of Sarai, Hagar was cut off from her family, her friends, her country and everything, she had ever known, that made up her reality. She was utterly alone in the world, with no one to speak out for her or to protect her from harm. She faced a life sentence, of catering, to the biddings of others; caring for the wealthy and serving their every whim. She didn't have any rights, not even over her own body. We can only imagine, what went through Hagar's mind, when Sarai told her, about her plan to use her, as a surrogate mother. We don't know if Sarai showed any regard for Hagar's human dignity or acknowledged that she had the same longings and hopes and dreams, that every woman has----- because Sarai's main goal, was to use her, in what she thought, was a last ditch effort, to get a child, for herself and for Abram. In the world that they lived in, polygamy and concubines, were the norm, rather than the abnormal.  They were seen as necessities, to preserve and build a family, especially when the primary wife was barren. A man's worth was estimated, by the number of children that he had-----so Sarai, would have felt extremely responsible, for protecting the reputation, of her husband. Even though, a lot of young women, would have grown up, knowing that they might wind up, as the second wife or the mistress------- and Hagar might have been one of those, that did-------I don't know if that that would have made Sarai's plan, any less hurtful to Hagar.

Viewed from Sarai's perspective, her plan was a culturally and legally acceptable, course of action. Most of her contemporaries, would have seen it as her duty, to step aside and let a younger woman do for Abram, what she was incapable of doing, for him. And what was good for Sarai, but bad for Hagar, was that the law, stipulated that after it was born, the baby belonged to the barren woman, and that she had the power, to do whatever she wanted to, with her handmaiden. The law was on Sarai's side, Hagar had no voice at all, in the situation.

Viewed from Hagar's perspective, the whole thing, would have just underscored her insignificance, as a person. She had no meaning or value to Sarai, except for her reproducing capabilities, as far as we know. As a person, she was so invisible-----that no one, would ever, have been able to anticipate, how the dynamics, between the two women, would explode, after Sarai's scheme worked.

(I read a story about a Saudi Arabian woman, who never went outside, without her coal-black burka, covering her, from head to ankle. She lived in Oxford,England, which, is in many ways, an international crossroads. Walking around town on her errands----she could usually be seen, pushing a stroller, containing her small child, at a breakneck speed. Watching this woman, whose face you couldn't see, you could tell that it would take a lot to squelch her spirit------because, below the hem of her burka, glistening defiantly, as she raced along, were a pair of fiery red, patent leather shoes.)

Hagar had a lot of reasons to feel beaten down, but when she discovered she was pregnant, she must have put her fiery red shoes on, too. Although her legal status hadn't changed, her social standing had been transformed, forever. She had succeeded where Sarai had failed--------she had conceived a child. And, not only did her pregnancy validate her as a woman, but it validated her in the eyes of society, because, she was carrying a wealthy man's offspring. And even though, her attitude and actions, toward Sarai, proved to be risky, unwise and heartlessly insensitive, they must have been, an indication of Hagar's strong spirit, because they led her to scorn and somehow undermine, the barren Sarai.

Sarai, as the wounded, older woman, scripture says, lashed out at Hagar, with a vengeance. Its ironic that Sarai was oblivious to the wrongs that she had committed against Hagar, but was acutely aware and sensitive to Hagar's offense against her. (We're that way too----we can clearly see, when someone is being mean to us, but when we are being mean or insensitive to someone else, we're blind as a bat. We need to remember that God's word is a mirror, which reflects our own souls------and that we want Him to be proud of what He sees, in that mirror.

Hagar's unguarded moment of triumph, over Sarai, was short-lived, because Sarai unleashed such fury, against her handmaiden, that Hagar must have feared for her life, or she wouldn't have run away. Abram was passive in the face of his family's crisis-----and his passivity, caused the cycle of wrongs, to just get so much worse and to spiral, wildly, out of control. Legally, Hagar was the mother of his child, and morally, she deserved his protection------but, he didn't do anything! 
His beloved Sarai, had been his wife for many years, and she was in indescribable pain and she turned to Abram for guidance and intervention. But, instead of working, to establish peace, in his divided home, by seeking God's help; giving godly guidance; giving calming reassurance to Sarai; and restraining Hagar, from any further incident---Abram didn't offer much of anything, except a shrug of his shoulders and the words, "that Sarai needed to do, whatever she thought was best". At the time. Abram's withdrawal, was what opened the door, for Sarai's harsh mistreatment of Hagar, which in turn, caused her to flee into the desert, in the general direction of Egypt. Hagar wanted to go home. The 2 women should have worked together, to advance Gods purpose, but they didn't--------I don't doubt that they knew what God had told Abram------I think probably, that everybody in their entourage knew--so, they should have been working together, to please God, not quarreling among themselves.

Touched by an Angel:

In a strange twist of providence, the crisis, that appeared to signal the end of  Hagar's life, was actually the very beginning of it. Like the rejected Samaritan woman, in John 4, who found her life, when she encountered Jesus, at the well----- Hagar found her life, too, when she encountered the Angel of the Lord, near a a spring of water.

Historically, the church has always believed, that the OT appearances, of the Angel of the Lord, were actually pre-incarnate appearances, of the Lord Jesus. Usually in those encounters, the person didn't realize at first, who they were actually, talking to. As the conversation progressed, and sometimes, even after it was over, it would gradually dawn on them, that they had had, a divine appointment. Measuring, how much, this encounter, with the Angel of the Lord, meant to Hagar, would be too difficult for us to gage, but many theologians believe, that this, is the moment when Hagar, embraced the God of Abraham, as her God, too. She would have been in great danger------a pregnant, heart-sick, humiliated, stubborn, frightened and an all-alone, run-away slave. Life couldn't have gotten much worse for her!

The Angel of the Lord's, encounter with her, gives us an early hint, of what Paul said to the Galations in 3:28, "that there is neither Jew nor Gentile, slave nor free, male nor female, for you all are one in Christ." Hagar was the perfect example of this, because she was a Gentile, a slave and a woman. And, she came to the crossroads, in her life, as an abused and rejected slave girl, who had been brought low, by her own haughtiness and discovered that, to the Angel of the Lord, she was created in the image of God and to Him, she had great value and dignity and a purpose. She understood that she mattered to God! She may have been invisible to everybody else, but on God's radar screen, she was a bright neon sign! Their meeting in the desert, was not a chance encounter----Genesis 16:7 says, "that the Angel of the Lord, found Hagar"-----the word, "found", that's used here, in Hebrew, gives the understanding, that He didn't just find her, but that He been searching for her. Running away from Sarai, drove her straight into, the arms of God.

In Genesis 16:8, the Angel of the Lord says, "Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?" In the whole story of Hagar and her life with Sarai and Abram, they never once, addressed Hagar, by her name----but the Angel of the Lord, did, and it was obvious, that He knew everything that there was to know, about her. We can only imagine how that recognition must have filled her soul, with joy! That would have been the perfect moment, for the Angel of the Lord to free her from slavery, turn her into a princess, change her slave-clothes, into a beautiful gown and have a caravan of camels appear, to take her back, to her home in Egypt, and give her a new life. But He didn't, He did the opposite, instead. He sent her back to her mistress. For Hagar, this would have been, totally, going against, what she wanted to do. It would have been the same thing, as telling her to walk straight into, the eye of a storm. But God calls His children to do that sometimes------He will lead us into a storm, or allow us to walk there, so that we can grow; so that we will learn to cling to Him and to trust Him, in spite of our circumstances! (I was talking to a young woman the other day, who's sister is making some erratic choices-----defiantly, moving away from home, to live, unmarried, with her boyfriend---at first glance-----it looks like God couldn't possibly be a part of her plan------and He isn't, in her decision------but they're going to a town, that is saturated with people, who are godly and faithful and she will be coming into contact with them, on a daily basis in her job and in her daily living------I don't have a single doubt, that God will find her there and that He will have an encounter with her, that will send her back home to confront, whatever it is, that she's running away from----and she'll gain her life with Him, in the process.)

God would never instruct someone to return to an abusive situation; He didn't tell Hagar, to go back, to lock her into a hopeless situation------He sent her back for her protection and for the protection of the baby--------God could have closed Hagar's womb, when she was given to Abram, but He didn't, because, He had a plan for her and for Ishmael-------and, He wanted Hagar, to return, with a new attitude, to Sarai, for a purpose. He had redemption in mind. He gave her a mission, that required her to go back! And even though Hagar, would have been a baby in her faith, and terrified, God gave her the courage and the strength to go back! He will always do that for us-----God will never call us to a task, that He doesn't equip us for! ever!

God had a plan for Hagar---and His love and interest in her, enabled her to do the extraordinary-----in going back, she was able to love her neighbor, and put the interests of someone else, ahead of her own. Her response, to the Angel of the Lord, reveals to us, what true Christianity, really is------it shows us, that it is all about our relationship with Him. She gave God a name------no one else in scripture------male or female-----ever, gave God a name. But Hagar did, and that lets you know, that her belief was real-------because she named Him El Roi, which means, "the God who sees me". She understood, in the most basic way, that a person can, that we have a very personal God, and that we matter to Him. Then, she put her newly-found faith into practice------she took it into the hardest place of all-------back----- into slavery, and it was probably, the first, truly free, act of will, that she had every done.

Sarai had thought that she needed  Hagar to create a baby for her husband---------but God gave Hagar something, to give to Sarai, that she needed a lot more, than she needed a child-------it was the message, that God saw Sarai too------that He is not just a disinterested spectator, floating somewhere above the clouds-------but that He is close and concerned and available, in the same way that a loving parent, is involved, emotionally, cognitively and constructively, in whatever is going on, in the life, of his children.

Hagar's encounter, with the Angel of the Lord, did the same thing, for mankind's relationship, with God, that Ipads, have done for computers------it made it a personal one. Before her encounter, with the Angel of the Lord, the scripture speaks of God in large, majestic, sweeping terms--like Elohim, the Creator God, the judge of all the world; and Yahweh or Jehovah, the covenant maker, the promise keeper; and El Shaddai, the Almighty One--------and He is all of these things------but He is also the intimate God, of Hagar's heart. He's the God who never takes His eye, off of His child, and He's the God, who will search and find His child, no matter where they run to, or where they try to hide.
Hagar, the Gentile, Egyptian slave, was given the privilege, in the scripture, of introducing, God's people, to the reality of God's omniscience-------not just to the truth, that God knows everything, but to the truth, that God knows me…..In Psalm 139:1, David expanded this understanding, when he said,"O Lord, you have searched me and you know me!…."  And Jesus, took it even further when He taught His followers to call God by His family name, "Abba" or "daddy", the affectionate language of a little child, who climbs up into his daddy's lap, to be comforted.

Theologians have written many, many pages about the staggering concept, of the omniscience of God. But Hagar made it real and understandable and tangible and compact enough, to fit inside her heart. She went back to Sarai and Abram; and she still might have been invisible to them, but it wouldn't have mattered, quite so much to her, because she went back, secure in the knowledge, that God could see her, and that she could trust the warmth of His gaze, no matter what her situation turned out to be.

God gave Hagar 2 gifts, in the desert, that day------the 1st one, was the priceless discovery, of the knowledge, that God was watching her------ that she mattered to Him, even, if she didn't matter, to another soul. And her 2nd gift was just as priceless-------because in sending her back to Abram and Sarai, He was giving her the opportunity to get to know Him, even more, from other people, who knew Him too. If she had gone back to Egypt, after He saved her, it might have been too hard, for her------she might have fallen back in to the old ways, of worshiping idols. God doesn't call us to Himself----without also, calling us to His people. Its a mixed blessing for all of us, though, because the church is full of sinners, who are saved by grace, and we have a tendency to hurt each other. The people that we find there, aren't necessarily, the ones that we would choose, to be our friends, and, sadly some of our most painful wounds, come from our relationships, with other believers. But they are the people that we need and we are the people that they need. We come to know God better, and we grow stronger, in our faith, when we are joined together, to the community, of His people and we work together, to know Him.

Hagar had just begun, to know our Great God. She had so much more to learn, and there was so much more, that she needed to understand. It really puts everything into perspective, even in light, of her being kicked out of their lives later on, for her and us, to realize, that God had sent her back, to the 2 people, who were best equipped, to help her gain a richer understanding of Him. Imagine what we could learn about God, if we were able to spend 15 years with Abraham and Sarah. Hagar was going to hear about the promises of God. She was going to learn, the teachings, that Abraham, would certainly have passed on, to Ishmael. And, she would have a front-row seat, to the birth of Isaac, the child of promise.
But, we can't forget, that it would have been a two-way street-------because Hagar would have expanded their understanding of God, too--------and she will always be best known, for helping God's people, then and now-----to realize and trust that God is the God who sees you and me, right down, to the very depths of our souls.

Wandering in the Desert:

After Hagar goes back to Sarai and Abram, there's 13 years of silence, after the birth of Ishmael. This makes me think that there must have been some measure of peace, between the women in the household, even if it was an uneasy one. Until the day came, to celebrate Isaac's being weaned, from nursing his mother.
This was a time of great joy in the lives of those ancient people, and it still is today, even though, we don't throw a party to commemorate it, because, it meant that the child, had survived, the particularly dangerous years, of early childhood---- The celebration was usually held, on the child's, 3rd birthday.

Apparently, sometime during the party, Sarah, saw Ishmael making fun of Isaac, or teasing or bullying him, we don't really know how involved it was-----but we do know that she saw something, that she didn't like----- and it must have been, the last straw, because she  exploded, and demanded, that both Hagar and Ishmael, be sent away, immediately. It was too much for Sarah to endure. And for Abraham, all the joy, instantly, went out of the celebration, because he loved Ishmael------he was his first-born! You can't really blame Sarah, though, she was Abraham's true wife and she had finally given him, the long awaited, son of promise----and, she and Abraham were old and she didn't know how many year,s they were going, to have left, to live, and she didn't want Ishmael, to have any claim, on Isaac's inheritance. She was a mother bear, protecting her cub.

According to the promise of God, Himself, Isaac was Abraham's true heir-------he was the one, that the covenant blessing, would eventually come through. It confused things, totally, for Ishmael to be in a position, to claim, the right of the 1st born, over the one true heir, appointed by God. Ishmael was a threat to God's purpose, for Abraham's line, as long, as he was available, to claim, that he was, more, the rightful heir, than Isaac was, because of his birth order and his age difference. So, what at first ,appeared to be an extreme overreaction, turned out to be a blessing in disguise, for everybody. God told Abraham to listen to Sarah and to do what she said and that he didn't need to worry about him, because He was going to make a great nation out of Ismael, because he was, also, Abraham's seed-------
God had promised Abraham, that He would be the father, of, so great a people, that their number wouldn't even be able, to be counted. I never realized before, that He was not just talking about the Jewish people, but that He was talking about Ishmael's children, too. God loves the Arab nation, just as much, as He loves, any nation, in the world and He doesn't  want them to perish, any more than He wants anyone to ------He sent Jesus to die for them, too. There are many Arabs, who are Muslim, but there are also, many Arabs, who believe in Jesus. It is our responsibility, to love those, who don't know Him, into the kingdom, of God, just like we are called, to love everybody else there, too. That's hard, because there are so many Islamic people, who hate anyone, who doesn't share their faith------but God has called us to that responsibility, and we need to obey Him.

The apostle Paul, used the expulsion of Hagar, as an illustration of the conflict between law and grace, In Galatians 4:22-31, Paul doesn't deny, the historical facts, of what happened, he just wanted to use it, as an allegory or an object lesson, to teach the people in Galatia, and us, the truth of God's word. He said that Hagar, the bondwoman, or slave, represented legalism (which is the bondage, of trying to earn favor, with God "by works") and he said, that Sarah, represented, the perfect liberty, of God's grace (which is a free gift, it's nothing that we can earn, "by works"). Paul was reminding the Galatian believers, and us, that we are all children, of the promise, like Isaac was, if we accept Jesus as our Savior. And just like Ishmael taunted Isaac, the false teachers of Galatia were persecuting the true believers----and the false teachers in our world, taunt us too. So, Paul said, in v. 30, to cast out, the bondwoman and her son, because the son of the bondwoman, shall not be heir, with the son of the freewoman." As harsh as it may have seemed, there was a very crucial, necessary and positive, spiritual principle, contained in the expulsion, of Hagar and Ishmael. It symbolizes the important truth, that the kind of religion that is dependent on human effort ( which is represented by, the carnal scheme, that conceived Ishmael, as a false fulfillment, to the promise) is utterly incompatible, with divine grace ( which is represented by Isaac, the true heir, of God's promise). And the two are so hostile, to each other, that they can't dwell in the same place.

So, bless Abraham's heart! He obeyed God's voice and early the next morning, after, I am sure, what was a sleepless night, for everybody, sent Hagar and Ishmael off, with a limited amount of food and water. Scripture says, that they wandered in the desert, until all their supplies were gone, and that, when Hagar had reached the point of hopelessness, that she left Ishmael, under the shade of a low bush, and dragged herself, some distance away, and wept, broken-heartedly. I have a hard time understanding why she did that, because I would have wanted to be holding onto my son, until his very last breath----- but I do know, that when we're under stress and overwrought, a lot of times, we behave in irrational and less-than-godly, ways. We know, that God heard the boy crying and, that the Angel of the Lord, spoke to Hagar, again. He told her to go back to her child and to comfort him and to take responsibility for his welfare. And, He promised her, that Ishmael would be the father of a great nation, which, (Genesis 25:16) says would produce 12 tribes of men, who would live in opposition to their brothers. Only God could make that kind of promise to a woman whose child was dying and she would believe Him. It is precious to me, that right here, at her greatest point of weakness, we can see Hagar's faith, picking itself up and dusting itself off and getting ready to go forward, to wherever, God told her to go.

Scripture says, that God opened Hagar's eyes, and she was able to see what was there, that she hadn't seen before------she saw a well of water and she realized that God had never forsaken her, that He had been there, all the time------that she just needed, for Him, to open her eyes, so that she could see His provision for her and for Ishmael. She filled the skin, that Abraham had given her and gave Ishmael, a drink, of the Life-giving water, that God had provided for them; and they survived. God was with Ishmael as he grew up, and became an archer in the desert, which tells me, that He was with Hagar, too.

I don't know why, she went to Egypt, to find Ishmael a wife, but she did---------it seems like she would have gone back to Abraham's family and chosen someone, from their community, who believed, in her God-----but she didn't--------so I hope that the Egyptian girl that she did choose, to be Ishmael's wife, became a believer, in the God of Abraham, like Hagar and Ishmael. Someday, when we get to heaven, we will be able, to fill in the blanks, of the story.

Through Hagar's story, each one of us, can come to believe and to trust that God does see, each one of us, individually----- not as one person, in a sea of faces, but He sees you and me, {all by ourselves, just like, He doesn't have anybody else to think about,} but, you and me. Life can be lonely, even in the middle of the hustle and bustle of daily activities and errands and crowds and friendships. Even inside a good marriage or a close friendship, there is a dimension of loneliness, that we can't escape.
For all of us, there are plenty of desert experiences, when we suffer feelings of isolation and insignificance. And, for all of us, there are inevitable moments, when, even surrounded, by loving family and friends, we feel invisible or we have to go through something, all by ourselves, that no person can fix, no matter how much they love us, or how much we love them. It might be a surgery or a divorce or a death or some kind of failure. But, it's in those moments, that we can know, that we are't alone. The God of Hagar is with us.

When Hagar and Ishmael were dying of thirst, God opened her eyes and showed her a well. When we are consumed by misery, and as Liz Higgs, our author, says, "can't see further, than the tissue pressed against our runny noses", it's human nature for us to beg God to change our circumstances------but we need to understand, that sometimes, the circumstances, are a part of a bigger picture, and in the long run, are for our greater good-------so what we need to pray, is, that the Lord, will open up our eyes, to see beyond our circumstances and will focus them, on all the wonderful possibilities, that He has laid out, right in front of us, with His generous hands and His loving heart, in the middle of the desert. Jeremiah 32:17 says "Ah, sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth, by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you." 

My prayer for all of us, is that we never forget, that God is always good; He is always in control; He is always Lord and that He never takes His eyes off of us.