Sometimes God leads us down a hard road not in order to make us stronger, but to bring us into a deeper and more intimate dependence on Him. He knows that it is only in Him where we find true strength.
For Hagar, it is at the end of a hard road in the middle of a barren desert – the place where God dwells – that Hagar is transformed.
After Sarah demands that Abraham cast Hagar and Ishmael out, Scripture reveals that Abraham is not only reluctant to comply with Sarah’s demands, but in his eyes, to do what she asked would be evil. That’s quite a strong conviction. As a matter of fact, it was God Himself who decided it was time to let Hagar go free (Genesis 21:10-14). However, God did not merely free Hagar from something, He set her free for something.
Set Free for a Purpose
This is the same for us. God never sets us free to be left to ourselves. We are set free for one purpose: to be wholly devoted to God.
Think back on the challenges you have faced in your own life. How do you see them? Where would you place an X on the line below?
calamities _________________________ opportunities
How do you suppose God sees them?
calamities _________________________ opportunities
Hagar’s story paints a beautiful picture of God’s tireless pursuit to capture the heart of one wounded soul. It would be wrong to assume that no one believed a runaway slave would ever amount to anything. God believed in her. And at the end of the day, that’s all that mattered.
Adapted from my Bible study, HAGAR: Rediscovering the God Who Sees Me.
Shadia is a passionate Bible teacher, award-winning author and speaker who has a heart for seeing lives transformed by the power of God’s Word. She holds a master’s in biblical and theological studies from Western Seminary and is author of several books and Bible studies.
Copyright © 2017 by Shadia Hrichi. Published by Leafwood Publishers.
