Have you ever had a situation where you had to suffer because of someone else's poor decisions? Sadly, the Bible is full of situations like this. One Biblical figure who was in a situation like this was Hagar. Hagar was the servant of Abram's wife, Sarai. Sadly, Sarai was unable to have children. Yet God had promised that her husband Abram would have a son and descendants as numerous as the stars (Gen. 15:1-6).

As time passed and God's promise remained unfulfilled, instead of waiting on the Lord, Sarai decided to take matters into her own hands. She decided to give her servant Hagar to her husband Abram so that she could have a child by means of her servant. In their effort to "help God out," Sarai and Abram completely disregarded what God said about marital fidelity (Gen. 1:27-28; 2:18-25). They tried to manufacture results instead of waiting on God's timing. As a result, a child was born out of wedlock by Hagar. What a sad, messy situation.

Whenever we try to achieve godly goals without following God's Word, chaos always follows. In this case, Sarai became jealous of Hagar and began to treat her so harshly that Hagar had to flee (Gen. 16:6). Sadly, this ungodly behavior was encouraged by Abram. In all of this, Hagar was a victim. Hagar's masters forced her into a difficult situation, and then, once they had to face the consequences of their sin, they abused Hagar. As a result, Hagar was left to die all alone in the wilderness with her child.

But, mercifully, we're told that "the angel of the Lord found her", gave her direction, and promised to bless her (Gen. 16:7-10). After this encounter, Hagar said, "You are a God of seeing...Truly I have seen him who looks after me" (Gen 16:13). As Hagar found out, we learn the most about God's character as we go through suffering. Through Hagar's trials, she learned that God is the God who looks after her. Whatever you may be going through, take comfort in the fact that our God sees and that He looks after you as well. Look to him for help in the midst of your trouble.

 

 

One of the best ways to get the most out of our time together in corporate worship is to come prepared, going to bed early on Saturday night, and by reviewing the sermon text, our song list, and our responsive readings. To help you prepare for Sunday worship, I've provided each element of our worship below for your review prior to Sunday.

 

In Christ,

 

Hunter Hanson