God works through sinners, revealing His patience and compassion. Have you ever felt unworthy when God used you in some way during your Christian life? If so, you are not alone! God doesn’t need our help in the world, but He chooses to work with us nonetheless. This can be puzzling to some until they …
Hagar and Ishmael experienced God’s provision during desperation. Abraham had sent them away because Ishmael had become a threat to Isaac. While Abraham had sent some provisions, they were gone, and their situation was life-threatening. Genesis 21: 17 But God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven, “Hagar, what’s …
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 …
Earlier, Sarah and Abraham had lacked trust in God’s plan. Since Sarah had not become pregnant, she had her maid act as a surrogate for her. Ishmael was born as a result of that decision. Now, they were experiencing the consequences. Genesis 21: 9 But Sarah saw Ishmael—the son of Abraham and her Egyptian servant Hagar—making …
Navigating life’s trials can present significant challenges, but they can also offer growth opportunities. Perhaps you are currently in the middle of a trial or have experienced one in the past. There is something about trials that alters our perspective in ways we cannot fully understand otherwise. My sister’s family faced a time of great …
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 …
I think every pregnant woman wonders, “What will my child be like?” God revealed what Hagar’s child would be like to encourage her in a difficult time. Genesis 16: 10 Then he added, “I will give you more descendants than you can count.” 11 And the angel also said, “You are now pregnant and will give birth …
Submitting to God transforms our actions. Submission and change are hard, but why? Our sinful nature desires to rebel against God because we think we know more than He does. As an immature believer, I didn’t realize the importance of submitting to God and learned some faith lessons the hard way. You may have experienced …
God seeks us. This is a magnificent characteristic of our Lord. God had commanded Adam and Eve not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. But when they disobeyed, the Lord sought them out. As people, we are much like sheep: we get lost. When this happens, the Lord doesn’t …
This week’s story shows Sarai, Abram, and Hagar all struggling to take responsibility. God had given Abram a promise of many descendants but Sarai remained infertile. They were both past childbearing age, so Sarai had her maid, Hagar, act as a surrogate. After Hagar became pregnant, she became disrespectful to Sarai. This was a problem, …