God responds to our cries because He loves and cares for us. Psalm 145:18 The Lord is close to all who call on him, yes, to all who call on him in truth. 6 Perhaps there was a significant time in your life when you cried out to the Lord, or you might be experiencing that now. There is something profound about crying out to the Lord in our desperation that makes our faith feel real in a way it may not have before.
This is what Hagar, a servant of Abraham and Sarah, experienced when she became a surrogate mother for Sarah. Tensions were high between the women, and Hagar ran away. While struggling in the desert, the angel of the Lord came with instructions.
Genesis 16: 9 The angel of the Lord said to her, “Return to your mistress, and submit to her authority…” 11 And the angel also said, “You are now pregnant and will give birth to a son. You are to name him Ishmael (which means ‘God hears’), for the Lord has heard your cry of distress.[1] Hagar was able to return with the message that God is a God who hears.
Seventeen Years Later
God was faithful, and Abraham and Sarah had a child in their old age when Sarah was well beyond the age of childbearing. They marked Isaac’s weaning with a celebration. At that time, Ishmael, now a teenager, began to tease Isaac. Sarah then demanded that Abraham banish Hagar and her son, which he did.
Hagar found herself again in the harsh desert conditions, and their situation was dire. She seems to have forgotten the experience of God hearing her in the desert the first time. Genesis 21: 15 When the water was gone, she put the boy in the shade of a bush. 16 Then she went and sat down by herself about a hundred yards away. “I don’t want to watch the boy die,” she said, as she burst into tears. [2]
God Still Hears
God had named Hagar’s son Ishmael, which means “God hears.” That name was prophetic as this is precisely what happened. Genesis 21:17 But God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven, “Hagar, what’s wrong? Do not be afraid! God has heard the boy crying as he lies there. 18 Go to him and comfort him, for I will make a great nation from his descendants.” [3]
Still today, God responds to our cries. 1 John 5: 14 And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him. 15 And since we know he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for. [4] As our faith in God matures, we can come to understand what pleases Him. Jesus came to die and pay the price for our sins, which enables us to have a relationship with the God who hears.
To learn more, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/gods-faithfulness-in-our-lives
[1-4] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation. Tyndale House Publishers.
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