I’ve been reading in Genesis and as I read chapter 16, verse 2 it seemed to bring out a different meaning than ever before. My focus has always been on Sari. This time however, I was drawn to Hagar. Hagar was a slave girl, innocently going through her everyday chores, maybe daydreaming about a day she would meet and marry the man of her dreams. With one comment from her masters wife her world would change forever. Hagar would change. Would she allow this shocking news…request….command to change her for the better or worse?
I can’t help but wonder was it the hurt that was inflicted on her that caused her to ridicle Sari? Would the insults take away the pain in her heart that just a few months before was joy and anticipation for her future? Her disrespect, no matter the reasons, put her in another extremely difficult situation, only this time it was self inflicted. Sari, in anger, told her to leave her home.
God meets Hagar and speaks to her: Genesis 16:9-10 NLT
[9] The angel of the Lord said to her, “Return to your mistress, and submit to her authority.” [10] Then he added, “I will give you more descendants than you can count.
Hagar obeys God and returns to Abram and Sari, very humble I’m sure. I believe that through all of the heartache, confusion, embarrassment and discouragement, Hagar now could face each day with a different outlook. Instead of despair, she now has hope. God gave her a future to look forward to and the blessing of meeting her right in the middle of her pain.
God didn’t show up when Hagar was given no option to have a baby with her master. He didn’t meet her in her disobedience and correct her. God allowed her to get to a place that Hagar felt she could get no lower and He came to her. He gave her strength to live, not before she needed it but when He knew she would listen, when she felt she had no pride let. Humility.
Becoming humble isn’t the best feeling in the world but living a life of humility will allow us to receive the blessings God desires for. We may, like Hagar be innocently put in a difficult situation or we may put our ownselves in a bad situation. Whichever it may be, we can have faith that God will “show up” at just the right time and bless us in ways we could never imagine.
