“The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them.” —Psalm 34:7
The Wilderness Years
Hagar … A used and abused runaway pagan slave. This is God’s choice to whom He reveals Himself as El Roi, the “God Who Sees Me”? This is the one God pursues into the desert to personally bless with His comfort and promises? Yes, for God does not see as man sees. He looks past race, reputation, nationality, gender, social status. . . . He looks upon the one thing that truly matters: the heart (1 Sam. 16:7). For reasons we may not fully realize on this side of heaven, it is often out of our deserts of despair that, if our hearts are willing, God will dig the deepest wells overflowing with living water.
Why do you think God chose the wilderness as the place where He revealed Himself to Hagar?
Each of us, with all of our triumphs and failures, joys and heartbreaks, scars and all, has been given an opportunity to make a difference in our world. Never underestimate what God can do with a life solely surrendered to Him. Just as God had His eye on Hagar, He has His eye on you. Give God your “wilderness years,” for who knows if they have been preparing you “for such a time as this.” (Esther 4:14)
How has God used the “wilderness years” of your life to open your eyes to His presence?      Â
Adapted from my Bible study, HAGAR: Rediscovering the God Who Sees Me. 
Copyright © 2017 by Shadia Hrichi. Published by Leafwood Publishers.
