How many can say that you experienced or are currently experiencing moments of praying and crying out to God for an answer? You have waited…and waited…and waited…for Him to respond. And that waiting has become painful as days have evolved into weeks and then into months and in some cases, those months have become years.
The most difficult part of waiting is walking in faith and continuing to trust in God’s purposes and timing. And often as time passes, there is questioning and doubting if God really cares or even hears our plea. Hagar, the slave of Sarai (Sarah), had the same questions in her heart.
Abraham’s wife, Sarai, was barren, so she gave her slave, Hagar, to Abraham to conceive a child. Hagar conceived quickly, and Sarai became jealous and treated Hagar so badly, that the pregnant and desperate Hagar fled into the wilderness to escape Sarai’s mistreatment (Genesis 16:4-7). m
The Angel of the Lord (Jesus before His incarnation) found Hagar near a spring in the desert. And He said, “Hagar, slave of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?” She answered that she was running away from her mistress, Sarai. “Then the Angel of the Lord told her, “Go back to your mistress and submit to her.” Then the LORD told Hagar that He would increase her descendants so much that they would be too many to count (Genesis 16:9-10). After God had told her all things, she gave this name to the LORD: El Roi, “THE GOD WHO SEES ME” (16:13 NKJV).
Why did God tell Hagar to return to Sarai? It was for Hagar’s protection that God told her to return to Abraham’s house. If she did not return, she and her unborn child would die in the wilderness. In Abraham’s house, she would be covered by the blessing that was over the house of Abraham. And because of her obedience, she would find safety and protection, and God would fulfill His promise to Hagar to increase her descendants.
Often God calls us to either do or pass through difficult things that make no sense, but “…we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28 NKJV). Hagar’s encounter with God gave her peace that she could trust in the “God Who Sees Me.”
As with Hagar, when we face challenging circumstances, we can trust that God is always with us and find comfort in knowing that He will never leave nor forsake us when we seek Him with our whole heart. That requires total surrender to Him and to His will. If not, it is easy to become like the Israelites whose “love” for God was predicated on what God could do for them.
From Exodus through Judges, we see Israel crying out to the Lord and the Lord responding each time to their cries. And it was the Israelites’ chronic disobedience that continually opened a door to their enemies, who then pursued them. In fear, the Israelites would repent and cry out to God, and again He would come to their rescue. But their behavior always changed after God dealt with their enemies and they were safe. Their disregard for God’s goodness would lead them to return to their old ways of walking in rebellion and worshipping idols.
What is an idol? An idol is and image or representation of anything used as an object of worship. We make idols of people, pleasure, sports, electronics, work, money, success, our children, and anything else that takes priority in our lives. What we give the most attention to reveals the attitude of our hearts towards God who is the only One who can meet emotional, spiritual, and physical needs.
You might be saying, “I don’t worship idols!” Interestingly, the average American daily watches seven hours of screen time which includes social media channels, listening to podcasts, spending over four or more hours on mobiles, and the remainder on television which one or more are prominently displayed in almost every American home. For some, the TV is the first thing turned on in the morning and the last thing turned off at night. However, God is asking, “Why am I not the first whom you seek in the morning and the last with whom you fellowship with at night?”
Psalm 34:15 tells us that the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and His ears are attentive to their cry. When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles (Psalm 34:17). Before they call, God says, “I will answer; while they are yet speaking, I will hear (Isaiah 65:24 (ESV). The Psalmist said, “In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I cried for help. From His temple He heard my voice, and my cry to Him reached His ears” (Psalm 18:6 ESV).
The great promise is that “If you seek Him, He will be found by you” (1 Chronicles 28:9). And when He is found, there is great reward, for whoever draws near to God and believes He exists, He rewards those who seek Him (Hebrews 11:6).
God is looking for people who desire a relationship with Him and are committed to seeking Him each day. Only then can we have confidence that He not only sees us, but He hears our every word, knows our every thought, and is always there to comfort and guide us.
PRAYER: FATHER, I am grateful that You care about every detail of my life for Your Word tells me that before You formed me in my mother’s womb, You knew me (Jeremiah 1:5). I am comforted in knowing that “[You] direct the steps of the godly. [You] delight in every detail of [my life]. Though [ I ] stumble, [ I ] will never fall, for [You hold me] by the hand” (Psalm 37:23-24). Help me to faithfully seek You. For I know that only in seeking You each day I will find the peace that I desire. In Jesus’ name, amen.