“The angel said to her, ‘Hagar, Sarai’s servant,
where have you come from, and where are you going?’”
“Thereafter, Hagar used another name to refer to the Lord, who had spoken to her.
She said, ‘You are the God who sees me.’”
Genesis 16:8, 13
Hagar had been forced into a life she did not choose: slavery in a foreign land, an involuntary pregnancy for another woman, and then abuse so cruel she finally ran away. However, the angel of the Lord found Hagar in the wilderness, and questioned: “Where have you come from, and where are you going?”
Our God is like any loving parent who questions the whereabouts of their child late at night, “So, where have you been?” Hagar answered that she was running away from her distressing life. We try to do the same…run away from the pain and disappointment of a life we did not choose. But, may we also learn Hagar’s run-away lesson…
Hagar had surely heard about Abram’s God many times, but how astounding that this God would actually pursue her. Hagar was so overwhelmed by such love and personal care that she gave God a new name, the God Who sees me.
So, when I feel life is cruel and I want to run away, may I instead be overwhelmed by the love of a God who sees me. No matter where I try to hide, His love will always find me, even in the middle of my own wilderness.
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