As a servant, I bet Hagar often felt overlooked; taken for granted; unseen.
Feeling unseen... hurts. I can think of several examples in my own life of times when I've felt overlooked or unseen.
...in school, when kids came to talk to my friends but were not interested in getting to know me
...going to summer camp with my cousin... all the rest of the time, we were great friends but, as soon as we got to camp, she made her own friends and would have nothing to do with me
...when my best friend Melissa, with whom I was sharing an apartment and with whom I was falling deeply in love, started dating this guy... I was so ashamed of the emotions I felt and could not shake... and my heart, all tangled up in her, was torn to shreds when she put me aside to spend time with him
...when I learned that my biological father was a man I have never met and still have not met, despite having reached out to him myself on more than one occasion
In each of those examples, it occurs to me that the others around me were conscious I was there; I just felt IGNORED. Ohhh, rejection HURTS!! It hurts into the marrow of my bones.
As I typed those instances where I essentially faced rejection, I will admit I felt a great sense of shame. My mind admonished me; "Quit whining. Get over it. Stop making a pity-party list." Etcetera, etcetera. But I kept typing... because those experiences were real to ME. They affected ME. And I will not cower down and cover up my wounds.
They affected me. Therefore, they matter. They matter to me, and they matter to God.
You, too! WHEN ANYTHING AFFECTS YOU, IT MATTERS TO GOD. God made you, God loves you, and God cares about you completely.
I guess that's why reading about Hagar grabbed my attention so strongly.
Allow me to summarize Hagar's story from Genesis 16:
1. God had promised a child to Abram and Sarai, but Sarai could not get pregnant.
2. Sarai suggested Abram sleep with her servant Hagar and, through her, maybe he could have their promised child.
3. Hagar became pregnant and, possibly feeling a little more important now, was spiteful and malicious toward Sarai.
4. Sarai was resentful right back, threw a fit and treated Hagar so badly that Hagar ran away into the desert.
(I left out a lot of details, but those are the bare bones of the story.)
Can you imagine how Hagar felt? She had been a nobody; some woman's servant. Then the woman told her to sleep with her husband, and maybe have a child for him. And maybe Hagar felt a little special then. Maybe she felt a little more self-worth.
Then Hagar did get pregnant, and maybe Abram was excited! And maybe Hagar took it a little too far by being ugly to Sarai, but... she, formerly alone and pushed to the side, was carrying the child of an important man!
Sarai lashed out at her, I'm sure, with a nasty ferocity. Sarai, perhaps, wanted to put Hagar in her place; to remind her she was unworthy and nothing more than a servant. Sarai kept on, and kept on, and kept on... until Hagar just could not take it anymore, and ran away.
I can only imagine how she felt.
THEN!! Look what happens! Genesis 16:7-11...
"The angel of the LORD found Hagar beside a spring of water in the wilderness, along the road to Shur."
"The angel said to her, "Hagar, Sarai's servant, where have you come from, and where are you going?" "I'm running away from my mistress, Sarai," she replied."
"The angel of the LORD said to her, "Return to your mistress, and submit to her authority.""
"Then he added, "I will give you more descendants than you can count.""
"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."
Then verse 13, Hagar responds: "You are the God who sees me. Have I truly seen the One who sees me?"
I bet Hagar cried tears of relief. I imagine she felt comforted; protected; acknowledged... SEEN.
And I doubt her life instantly became simple; I doubt her problems disappeared... but, going forward, she was able to face them with strength, with confidence, and with the knowledge she was not in this by herself.
God SEES you! Regardless of your situation and no matter how you ended up there, God see you and you do not have to face this life alone.
Here are some verses to further underscore that statement. I encourage you to write them down, read them often and get them into your mind and your heart. Being familiar with God's truth makes us stronger people!
1 Chronicles 28:9 - "For the LORD sees every heart and knows every plan and thought. If you seek him, you will find him."
Proverbs 24:12 - "God understands all hearts, and he sees you."
Deuteronomy 7:9 - "Understand, therefore, that the LORD your God is indeed God. He is the faithful God who keeps his covenant for a thousand generations and lavishes his unfailing love on those who love him and obey his commands."
Psalm 54:4 - "But God is my helper. The Lord keeps me alive!"
Proverbs 5:21 - "For the LORD sees clearly what a man does, examining every path he takes."
Matthew 6:6 - "But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you."
Psalm 118:6 - "The LORD is for me, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?"
Psalm 27:1 - "The LORD is my light and my salvation--so why should I be afraid? The LORD is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble?"
Matthew 10:29-31 - "What is the price of two sparrows--one copper coin? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows."
Matthew 11:28 - "Then Jesus said, 'Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest."
