September 29, 2022
So she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, “You are a God of seeing,” for she said, “Truly here I have seen him who looks after me.” Therefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi;( Beer-lahai-roi means the well of the Living One who sees me) it lies between Kadesh and Bered.
And Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram called the name of his son, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael. Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to Abram. (Genesis 16:13-16) ESV
When Abraham left Ur, he was seventy-five years old. Sarah, his wife, was sixty-five. Eleven years later, God had still not made good on His Promise to them. Sarah was now seventy-six, and Abraham was eighty-six. Sarah decided God needed help, and Abraham agreed to follow her plan. So Abraham had a son with Sarah’s maid named Hagar.
As you can imagine, that did not have a good outcome. Why? Because they disobeyed God. This was not God’s plan. Abraham and Sarah were disobedient and had to bear the consequences of that disobedience.
Sarah drove Hagar away after she conceived Abraham’s child. Hagar fled into the wilderness. God found her beside a spring of water. That day Hagar had an encounter with God. He revealed Himself to Hagar and made her a promise. He did it because He is a Covenant-keeping God and made a covenant with Abraham. Hagar’s reaction to her encounter with God was a beautiful one filled with meaning for you and me. God revealed Himself to her as El Roi – the God Who sees. God saw everything Hagar had been through. He understood her predicament. God told Hagar to go back to Sarah and continue to serve her. He also told Hagar that He would bless her son.
Friends, there were consequences for the actions of Abraham, Sarah, and Hagar, but that did not mean that God would not be there with them while they walked through them. It is no different with you and me. God loves us. He has made a covenant with us through the death and Resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ. God is committed to you and me. He is our El Roi – He is our God Who sees. Whatever the situation we may find ourselves in, God is in it with us now. Maybe we cannot see our way through it – but He can. We need to trust Him today. Whatever God is telling us to do, we need to obey Him. He will see us through. Would you pray with me?
Dear Heavenly Father, I stop here today and build an altar to Your Name.: El Roi – my God Who Sees. Thank you for seeing everything clearly, even though it is all murky and muddled for me. I am trusting You. Please help me to find my way through this _____________? In Jesus’ Name, Amen
Encouraging Words from Billy Graham: Knowing we will be with Christ forever far outweighs our burdens today! Keep your eyes on eternity.
God Bless you, and have a Blessed Day, Friends <><
Thoughts by Randall Stapleton is a Daily Devotion brought to you by The Bridge - Learn more at https://wearethebridge.org
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