Tag: Hagar

God Sees Me

On By vickleaIn Scripture4 Comments

I have always been fascinated by the story of Hagar in Genesis. First of all, she was an Egyptian slave to Sarai and Sarah used her to accomplish a goal she wanted to achieve. She gave Hagar to Abram so that Hagar would conceive a child for him since Sarai when Sarai was barren. Instead of waiting for God to fulfill His promise, Sarai jumped the gun and inserted Hagar into the picture. Hagar was pregnant with a son who should be named Ishmael and Sarai became so jealous that she treated Hagar cruelly. Hagar then fled from her and out in the desert an angel of the Lord came to her and told her to return to Sarai and to have her son Ishmael there, that he would be a great nation, too. This story amazes me because Hagar was an Egyptian among the Israelites. She was not one of God’s chosen people, yet He took the time to reassure her of His presence and His plan for her. This is where the Scripture comes in that is my focus today.

God sees me all the time and I am thankful for His being there for me when I am feeling lonely or afraid, as Hagar was. I am an introvert and tend to withdraw into corners during large gatherings. Usually, after a while has passed, my husband will notice that he hasn’t seen me in the crowd and come to find me. But I know that the entire time, God was right there with me. When I felt alone all the times my husband was deployed, God was with me. Now that I am in Maryland while my husband remains in Virginia, God is with me. He sees all of my circumstances and meets me where I am, offering comfort, wisdom and help whenever I need it. It is not a small thing to be seen by the Creator of the Universe. I’m just a small speck down here on earth, and yet I know He always has His eye on me. That is a verse worth remembering, isn’t it?

Have a blessed day and remember to look up to the One who sees you and thank Him for being there with you all the time.

Who Is Your Mother?

On By vickleaIn Scripture3 Comments

Mothers are not a big focus in the Bible; rather it is the men, the fathers, who are mentioned most often. Therefore, the fact that my devotional today was about mothers was instantly interesting to me, so I think I read very closely to see what the theme was.

“His” refers to Abraham and Paul is addressing a dispute about whether Christians must live under the Mosaic Law and be circumcised. His argument is centered around the mother of each of Abraham’s children. Isaac was a child of promise, the one who was led away to be sacrificed but for whom God provided a ram in his place. He was the promised child that Sarah and Abraham waited for, the one Sarah laughed about because she overheard the prophecy that she would have a child in her old age. God brought His will to pass and gave her Isaac. Ismael, however, was the son of a slave woman named Hagar. Impatient to have a child, Sarah gave Hagar to Abraham and urged him to have a child with her. She was a child who came from the fleshly desire to have a child right away instead of waiting for God’s promise.

So, I ask again. Whose child are you? Are you a child of the law and the flesh or a child of the promise? That sounds easy enough to answer, doesn’t it? But if you are bound up by the law instead of walking in the freedom of the promise, then you are not truly free. Christ died to set us free from sin and death, so remember who your mother is and don’t return to bondage.

Have a blessed day, rejoicing in the fact that you are a child of the promise and giving glory to God for His great plan of salvation for us all.