Hagar discovered a God who sees and hears when she was alone in the desert. This was such an incredible revelation that she called God by a different name. She even gave a new name to the place where God had appeared to her.
Genesis 16: 13 Thereafter, Hagar used another name to refer to the Lord, who had spoken to her. She said, “You are the God who sees me.” She also said, “Have I truly seen the One who sees me?” 14 So that well was named Beer-lahai-roi (which means “well of the Living One who sees me”). It can still be found between Kadesh and Bered. [1]
Forgetting to Check With God
Hagar, a runaway Egyptian slave, became a surprising messenger to Abram and Sarai. From her experience, she understood that God sees distress and affliction. He hears the cries of those in need. God had given the name Ismael, meaning “God hears,” to her unborn son. Now, every time that she used his name, she would be reminded of that fact.
Abram and Sarai should have known they served a God who sees and hears. He knew of Sarai’s barrenness and had promised many descendants. But they hadn’t checked with God about how this would happen. At their age, children seemed like an impossibility, and they tried to solve the problem using human means. Now, God taught them a lesson through what they thought had been the solution. It was God’s job to give them children. Psalm 113: 9 He (God) gives the childless woman a family, making her a happy mother. [2]
Trust the God Who Sees and Hears
The character of our God has not changed. He sees our difficulties, and He hears our cries for help. We may feel He is ignoring us because things are not happening on our timetable. But God’s plans are much larger than what we can imagine. We learn from Abram and Sarai that we must be patient for God’s timing and trust that He will work everything out. We want to check with Him before doing something rash we may regret later. God promises to be faithful.
David gives us insight into his experience with God. Psalm 40: 1 I waited patiently for the Lord to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry. 2 He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid round and steadied me as I walked along. 3 He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see what he has done and be amazed. They will put their trust in the Lord. [3]
God works in ways that cause us to praise Him and give testimony to others of His gracious character. To learn more, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/when-we-take-matters-into-our-own-hands
[1-3] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation. Tyndale House Publishers.