– Acquired as a slave
– Forced to bear her master’s child
– Ill-treated during pregnancy
– Persecuted to run away
– & finally abandoned!
What the Egyptian girl Hagar went through is indeed disheartening. In the eyes of the world, she always was and will be the ‘extra’ woman in Abram and Sarai’s life.
Then one day Hagar conceived. Soon as if her suppressed contempt found boldness, she became vocal in despising her mistress Sarai. But the move backfired – Sarai took free permission from Abram whose child Hagar was bearing to ill-treat her more!
“Your servant is in your hands. Do with her whatever you think is best,” is what Abram told Sarai.
Run away
And the pregnant Hagar had no option but to run away. Run away from her fears, run away from her past, run away to a place where no one could have ever found her.
But…
Genesis 16:7 says that the angel of God found her!
For an Egyptian who grew up worshipping pagan Gods, here she was talking face to face with someone she only heard her master talk about. Who was this God? Did this God really could see her plight? And why would He bother about someone so ‘lowly’ like her?
And Hagar named this God as El Roi–the God who sees me. For she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.”
God told Hagar to go back and submit to her mistress, and as she would do that she received a promise, that never ever any woman in the Scripture received– “I will so increase your descendants that they will be too numerous to count.”
And Hagar obeyed. Soon she bore forth a son and called him Ishmael, meaning “God listens”.
For He who has promised is faithful (Heb 10:23b)
Later on we see in Genesis 21, how God kept his promise to Hagar and Ishmael and till date He has been true to His word.
Where is God when it hurts?
Are you at a crossroad in your life, wondering whether there is a God. Or you are saying I know there is, but does He really care about me? Where is He when my life hurts?
The Bible says: The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. (Psalms 34:18).
The God who changed the destiny of an Egyptian slave girl, is interested to change yours too. He is your El Roi, the one who sees all your hurts. Instead of running away from your situation, would you choose to trust and submit to Him today, just as Hagar did?