The God Who Sees

 “Now the Angel of the LORD found her…in the wilderness…And He said, ‘Hagar...where have you come from, and where are you going?’” Genesis 16:7

This morning we are introduced to a young woman named Hagar, who was the personal servant to Sarai, the wife of Abram. We witness through Scripture her sobbing in the wilderness after fleeing from home with her life turned upside down. Previously, one day as she went about her normal duties the decision of one selfish impatient woman disrupted her life on every level…her work…her health…her home. Sarai, her master was barren and had grown impatient with God answering her prayers of pregnancy. She demanded that her husband Abram marry Hagar and impregnate her so that Sarai could be a mother. Once she was pregnant, she despised Sarai for the decision that had changed her life. These circumstances are where she has come from and the story picks up where the heart of the Lord looked down and saw her misery. The Angel of the LORD appeared beside her and began a tender dialogue with her. He asked, ‘where have you come from, and where are you going?’ With swollen eyes and a tear-streaked face she answered His question. This is a story that has played out a million times since the beginning of time.

This morning I wonder the same about your story with God… ‘where have you come from, and where are you going?’ To the spouse who came from a happy marriage to the life of being single again…where are you going? To the person who came from a healthy body to the life of medical concerns…where are you going? To the couple who raised their baby in church to the reality that their teenager is living in darkness…where are you going? To the employee who came from a good job to discover that the job has been eliminated…where are you going? The list of ‘comings and goings’ are dizzying at best and terrifying at worse. The answer as believers is that we are going straight into the arms of Jesus with everything we face!

In an instant our lives can change but God never does for ‘He is…and was…and is the One to come!’ (Rev 1:8). He is the One who saw Hagar at her loneliest moment and He is the One who sees you. He reminds us from where we have come and to where He has taken us in past troubles. He already knows the answer to what He asks of us, but He asks so we can remind ourselves of His unshakeable faithfulness. He reminds us that He is greater than any circumstance that lies before us. He comforts our fears and brings peace out of situations that scare us to death. He is our anchor is every storm, and He walks beside us in all our comings and goings.

Just like you, I may not know where I’m going in my future but I know where I’ve been and Who has been with me every step of the way…the God of Hagar, the God of my parents and grandparents, and the God of every moment.

Next time you consider where it is you are heading, have confidence and thank God that He has already arrived there before you.