She was different. She wasn't like the others. This young girl had a place of prominence in the home of Abraham. Hagar was Sarah's maidservant, and even though she had been "purchased," the position she held was one of honor and trustworthiness.
But all this changed, when Sarah - her "master" - became impatient with God.
God had promised a son to Abraham and Sarah years earlier, but the promise had not been yet fulfilled. So, she decided to take matters into her own hands, and give Hagar to Abraham as a concubine. Sarah's impatience and ultimate lack of trust in God, led to Hagar being thrust into a relationship that ultimately, they both probably regretted.
It wasn't Hagar's fault. She didn't deserve to be treated like a pawn in the lives of others, but it happened.
She became pregnant, and it was obvious that when she did, her feelings for Sarah changed. Maybe she was angry that Sarah would claim her child as her own. Maybe her pregnancy intensified her feelings of being "used." Whatever the reason, Hagar began to "despise" Sarah.
Of course, Sarah didn't like this one bit. She "dealt harshly with her," so Hagar "fled from her presence" (Gen. 16:6).
And this is where I think the story really gets interesting. You see, Hagar fled into the wilderness and ended up by a spring of water. I'm sure by this time, a lot of the anger she had been experiencing was now melting away in her tears. What would she do? Where would she go? She had no one - she thought - except the child who grew within her womb. Then, she heard a voice: "Hagar, Sarai's maid, where have you come from, and where are you going?" (Gen. 16:8).
It was the Lord's voice, and get this, He didn't just speak to her...He called her by name! She wasn't an Israelite. She wasn't part of the Chosen Ones. She was a foreigner...and yet, God spoke to her and called her by name.
She told Him she was fleeing her master, and the words He spoke in response, have tugged at me all week. You would think that God would put His arm around her and tell her everything would be alright. You would think He'd commend her for remaining with Sarah so long, despite her treatment. You would think God would snap His fingers and make everything okay. Sure, Hagar had been angry with Sarah and probably a little nasty, but this situation wasn't her fault. She had been thrust into servanthood, and now motherhood, without ever wanting either...at least not in this way.
Yet, God didn't remove her from the situation. He didn't let her stay in the wilderness. Instead, He told her to do something hard...to go back and "submit herself" under the hand of Sarah.
Why would He do that? Why would He tell her to go back into the uncomfortable situation from which she had just fled?
Not taking into account God's ultimate plan, the main reason she had to go back was that it was simply the right thing to do. She "belonged" to Sarah. Period. God told her to do the right thing...the hard thing...and then He told her He would protect her and her son. He told her that Ishmael would indeed, grow up and that her descendants would be as a multitude too difficult to count.
At this, "Hagar called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, You-Are-the-God-Who-Sees" (Gen 16:13).
Hagar came to recognize that the God of Israel saw her in the midst of her hard situation - that He saw she had not asked for what life had given her - that His eyes were upon her...
...and for Hagar, THAT was enough...
...enough to go back to Sarah...enough to endure the hostility and resentment...enough to live in a home of strife....enough to do the right thing and go home.
Beloved of God, you probably won't find yourself in a situation exactly like Hagar's today, but you might find yourself running from one where you're being treated unfairly - a hard life that wasn't your fault. Let me encourage you. First off, God sees. He sees you in the midst of your hard place, and He hasn't left you alone. He sees your struggles. He sees your heartaches. He sees...and even though He may not take you out of that hard place, He has a plan. Your job is to trust that and in response, to do the right thing... to be obedient to Him and not run away from the path He's chosen you to walk, no matter how difficult...to desperately search out His voice in the midst of all the others and obey it without reservation.
Sometimes, just the fact that He sees, has to be enough.
I AM IN NO WAY advocating for you to remain in an abusive relationship. I am advocating, however, for you not to run away from the hard place you find yourself in, just because it's hard...just because You haven't seen God show up yet. He is there, my friend, and He sees you.
Jesus, today, I pray for those who find themselves THERE...who find themselves in places, not of their own making. I pray that You would show Yourself to them - that You would come along side and comfort and encourage them that You do, in fact, see them - that their struggles have not gone unnoticed by You. I pray they will be encouraged today to do the right thing in the face of those things that attempt to steal their joy and their lives. You want to and can do this, Father. Show Yourself to them, today. I praise You, Lord...for You, alone are worthy.
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
The Grammar Nut
May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart, be pleasing in your sight, O God, my Strength and my Redeemer. Ps. 19:14
I'm an English grammar nut. Yes, I know, sometimes I DO start my sentences with "And" and "But," but believe me, I know I'm not really supposed to begin sentences with conjunctions in formal writing. It's taken a lot of practice for me to be able to utilize those words in that capacity. I still cringe, but I'm also a grammar rebel at heart!
Because of my grammar fixation, my eyes pay attention to every little comma, every set of quotation marks, every semicolon, etc... This morning was no exception. As I read the Gideon-placed, hotel Bible, the abundant use of a possessive pronoun held me captive. In the above verse, the word "my" appears 4 times - my mouth, my heart, my Strength, my Redeemer.
My Mouth:
The psalmist prayed "let the words of my mouth...be pleasing in Your sight." Personally, I'd almost rather see "let the words of someone else's mouth." That way, it wouldn't be so personal...so convicting. Yet, the psalmist wanted this to be personal. He wanted HIS words coming out of HIS mouth to please Jesus.
My Heart:
Again, wouldn't it be so much easier and less convicting if the things spoken of - the feelings we allow to consume us, the fears we let overwhelm us, the thoughts we let override our righteous behavior - if all these things, belonged to someone else! However, the psalmist knew it would not do any of us any good to pray for others in this regard, unless we, ourselves, were right before the Lord.
My Strength:
The last two possessives in the verse are really sweet...the first being, "my Strength." You know, God never uses words in His Word without a purpose. That's why I find the psalmist calling God - my Strength - very sweet. He was asking his personal God to let the words and the things he would think throughout his life, be pleasing. He also knew this wasn't just going to happen. He knew his own sinfulness and weaknesses. So, in order for his words and the motives of his heart to be pure, the psalmist would need supernatural help. He would need HIS God to be his Strength.
My Redeemer:
And then (there's that grammar rebel again!), he uses the possessive pronoun one more time - "my Redeemer." Now, this is beautiful to me. For you see, the psalmist probably knew that eventually in his human form, he would not choose to use God as his Strength. He would stumble, and the words of his mouth and the meditations of his heart would be less than pleasing to his God. Yet, he knew God to be not just his Strength, but his Redeemer. He knew that even if he did fail, God could and would "buy back" or "redeem" his failures for his ultimate good and for God's glory. How beautiful is that!?!
So, in light of all this, there's only one thing to do at this point - make this verse our very own - make it personal. Let's pray...
Lord Jesus, today, may the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing to You today, O God, my Strength and my Redeemer.
I'm an English grammar nut. Yes, I know, sometimes I DO start my sentences with "And" and "But," but believe me, I know I'm not really supposed to begin sentences with conjunctions in formal writing. It's taken a lot of practice for me to be able to utilize those words in that capacity. I still cringe, but I'm also a grammar rebel at heart!
Because of my grammar fixation, my eyes pay attention to every little comma, every set of quotation marks, every semicolon, etc... This morning was no exception. As I read the Gideon-placed, hotel Bible, the abundant use of a possessive pronoun held me captive. In the above verse, the word "my" appears 4 times - my mouth, my heart, my Strength, my Redeemer.
My Mouth:
The psalmist prayed "let the words of my mouth...be pleasing in Your sight." Personally, I'd almost rather see "let the words of someone else's mouth." That way, it wouldn't be so personal...so convicting. Yet, the psalmist wanted this to be personal. He wanted HIS words coming out of HIS mouth to please Jesus.
My Heart:
Again, wouldn't it be so much easier and less convicting if the things spoken of - the feelings we allow to consume us, the fears we let overwhelm us, the thoughts we let override our righteous behavior - if all these things, belonged to someone else! However, the psalmist knew it would not do any of us any good to pray for others in this regard, unless we, ourselves, were right before the Lord.
My Strength:
The last two possessives in the verse are really sweet...the first being, "my Strength." You know, God never uses words in His Word without a purpose. That's why I find the psalmist calling God - my Strength - very sweet. He was asking his personal God to let the words and the things he would think throughout his life, be pleasing. He also knew this wasn't just going to happen. He knew his own sinfulness and weaknesses. So, in order for his words and the motives of his heart to be pure, the psalmist would need supernatural help. He would need HIS God to be his Strength.
My Redeemer:
And then (there's that grammar rebel again!), he uses the possessive pronoun one more time - "my Redeemer." Now, this is beautiful to me. For you see, the psalmist probably knew that eventually in his human form, he would not choose to use God as his Strength. He would stumble, and the words of his mouth and the meditations of his heart would be less than pleasing to his God. Yet, he knew God to be not just his Strength, but his Redeemer. He knew that even if he did fail, God could and would "buy back" or "redeem" his failures for his ultimate good and for God's glory. How beautiful is that!?!
So, in light of all this, there's only one thing to do at this point - make this verse our very own - make it personal. Let's pray...
Lord Jesus, today, may the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing to You today, O God, my Strength and my Redeemer.
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