"Your greatest contribution to the Kingdom of God may not be something you do, but someone you raise." ~Andy Stanley

June 27, 2012

Wednesdays in the Word

I was reading in Genesis, and thinking of the injustice that Hagar suffered.
Hello! It wasn't her idea to 'be given to Abraham' and have his son, it was Sarah's. Then Hagar became pregnant and it says that "Sarah dealt harshly with her and she fled from her presence." 
Then "An Angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness" and told her to "return to Sarah and submit to her." Then she received God's promise that He would multiply her descendants so that they could not be counted. And that she would have a son and he would be called Ishmael, which means 'God-Hears.' So, Hagar "called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, You-Are-the-God Who-Sees' (which is El Roi) because she was convinced that she'd "seen Him who sees me." Isn't that sweet? I love learning the names of God. If you get into that sort of thing too, this is an awesome book!!! I love to remember that God is El Roi and He sees all the things going on around me. Knowing that He sees and knows, brings me peace, even if nothing changes! 

Anyway, how cool is it that, The-God-Who-Sees told Hagar that she was going to give birth to a son and his name would be 'God-Hears.'

When Isaac was weaned and given a feast, it says that Ishmael laughed, which sounds like what older brothers do to younger brothers. But Sarah flipped out and wanted Hagar and Ishmael sent away.  -I personally think Abraham should have given them more than one skin of water for the journey, but maybe I'm being picky. : ) It appeared to Hagar that she and her son would die of thirst so she put him under some shrubs and she went a distance away so that she would not have to watch him die. Then the Lord appeared to her, and said "What ails you Hagar?" which sounds like a crazy question until you read it in light of their NAMES!
'The God-Who-Sees' "heard the voice of 'God-Hears.' "  Isn't that sweet? Of course He did! He promised to! So, really 'what ails you' when you know that the King of Kings has you in His care?
"Fear not for God has heard the voice of 'God-hears.'
"So God was with the lad and he grew and dwelt in the land and became an archer."
The End.

What ails you that you need 'The-God-Who-Sees' to intervene?
Your name probably does not mean 'God-Hears' but He has promised us that He does here us:


"He will call on me, and I will answer him; 
    I will be with him in trouble,
    I will deliver him and honor him." Psalm 91:15



"The Lord is near to all who call on him, 
    to all who call on him in truth." Psalm 145:18



"Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.  You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." 
Jeremiah 29:12-13


"Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know." Jeremiah 33:3


AND the best one: “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."
 Romans 10:13 : )



Blessings,
~Becky

No comments: