Seen and Loved

“But Sarah saw that the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham was mocking, and she said to Abraham, “Get rid of that slave woman and her son, for that woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac.”

 ~ Genesis 21:8

This is a heart-breaking passage of scripture, and it is one where you must remind yourself that just because it is recorded in the bible, it does not mean that God condoned it. Sarah was the wife of Abraham. When God promised Abraham that He would make the man into a great nation of chosen people, it seemed so unlikely because his wife was beyond the childbearing years. Sarah became impatient and decided to make things happen and gave her servant girl, Hagar, to Abraham as a wife to have children with. Hagar did not have a choice in this. She did have a child, a son, and instantly became the target for Sarah’s hatred.

God did not endorse this plan. He allowed Sarah to become pregnant and the seemingly impossible happened. She gave birth to Issac. This was the plan all along. God makes things work that feel as if they will not or cannot.

So now, Sarah has demanded that Hagar and her son be tossed out into the desert as the family relocates.

“Early the next morning Abraham took some food and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar. He set them on her shoulders and then sent her off with the boy. She went on her way and wandered in the Desert of Beersheba.”

~ Gen 21:14

In the desert, parched and alone, Hagar, the Egyptian slave girl, found herself lone, emotionally wounded and abandoned. Fear and despair must have consumed her as she wandered with her young son, Ishmael.

“When the water in the skin was gone, she put the boy under one of the bushes. Then she went off and sat down about a bowshot away, for she thought, “I cannot watch the boy die.” And as she sat there, she began to sob.”

~ Gen 21:15-16

The story of Hagar is one that deeply resonates with me. She was a slave girl who was taken advantage of in ways she couldn't control. One day, she was living her normal life; the next, she was thrust into a situation that would forever change her world. When the dust settled, she found herself outside of everything familiar, feeling lost, betrayed, broken, and unloved. Her security and trust had been shattered, and the broken parts of her life seemed to outweigh the repaired ones. Her world had shrunk dramatically, and she felt alone.

In the face of her isolation, she cried out to God.

This is the part of her story and mine where I find incredible strength.

“God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid; God has heard the boy crying as he lies there.  Lift the boy up and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation.” Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. So, she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink. God was with the boy as he grew up. He lived in the desert and became an archer.”

~Gen 21: 17-20

The Hebrew word for God used in the story of Hagar is "אלהים" (Elohim)

Abraham would use the word “God” but the word was translated to mean sustainer and provider. While God is certainly those things, Hagar used a different name for Him. It was “The God who sees.”

Her plea was simple yet profound: "You are the God who sees." It was a recognition of God's omnipresence and His care for even the most insignificant. In the vastness of the desert, Hagar knew she was not alone. God saw her, knew her struggles, and was there for her.

God responded to her cry by providing a well of water, ensuring the survival of Hagar and Ishmael. This act of divine intervention was a testament to God's unwavering love and compassion. Even in the darkest moments of our lives, when we feel abandoned and forgotten, God sees us. He hears our cries, knows our needs, and provides for us in ways we cannot imagine.

I’ve sat on similar ground. No desert, and no intense sun burning my skin, but a carpeted closet floor can feel just as barren. Sitting alone, heartbroken, unable to say anything but just sob.

Alone.

Have you ever felt similarly lost or alone? Perhaps your circumstances were different from Hagar's, but the emotions and feelings might be the same.

I want to remind each of us that, even in our most breaking moments, we can have comfort in knowing that we are not alone. God sees us, loves us, and is always with us. May we trust in His providence and find solace in His presence, no matter what challenges we may face.

Read these words slowly and meditate on what they mean, and then rest well. You are seen. You are heard, and you are loved.

"O Lord, you have searched me and known me!

You have understood my thought from afar.

You have searched out my path and my lying down

And are acquainted with all my ways.

For there is not a word on my tongue,

But behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.

You have enclosed me behind and before,

And laid your hand upon me.  

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;

It is high; I cannot attain it.

Where can I go from your Spirit?

Or where can I flee from your presence?

If I ascend to the heavens, you are there!

If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, you are there!

If I take the wings of the morning

And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,

Even there your hand will lead me,

And your right hand will hold me.

If I say, “Surely the darkness will cover me,

And the light will be night around me,”

Even the darkness will not be dark to you,

And the night will be as bright as the day.

For darkness is no darkness to you.

For you formed my inward parts;

You knitted me together in my mother’s womb.

I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

Wonderful are your works;

My soul knows it very well.

My frame was not hidden from you,

When I was made in secret,

When I was woven together in the depths of the earth.

Your eyes saw my unformed substance;

In your book were written, every one of them,

The days that were formed for me,

When as yet there was none of them.  

How precious are your thoughts to me, O God!

How great is the sum of them!

If I should count them, they are more than the sand.

When I awake, I am still with you.

~ Psalms 139

~Daniel