Hagar fled Sarai’s persecution and headed for her homeland of Egypt. God found her along the roadway next to a spring of water.
“Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from and where are you going?” God asked.
She answered, “I am fleeing from my mistress Sarai.”. (Genesis 16:8 ESV)
God told her to return to Sarai and to submit to her. This had to have been difficult for Hagar to swallow her pride and submit to Sarai, but God gave Hagar her own promise.
He told her the child she was carrying was a boy, and she was to call him Ishmael, which means “God will hear.”
God went on to reveal that Ishmael would be a wild man, fighting against the world and the world against him, and he would dwell in the presence of all his brethren.
For a headstrong woman who longed for freedom, what a blessing to hear that her son would be strong and independent, fighting his own battles, but remaining close to his family.
God spoke Hagar’s love language. She rejoiced in His presence, calling him El Roi, “The God Who Sees Me.”
Hagar could have kept running to Egypt. Instead, she took God’s directive and returned to Abram and Sarai as a humbled woman filled with hope for the future.
We all long for freedom to do whatever we want, but oftentimes God places us in positions of submission. It’s hard sometimes, but like Hagar, we can be assured that God sees us and is there for us. He places us where we need to be, and though we may not understand His reasoning, we can trust His judgment. May you today listen to the God who sees you and follow His instruction.
Hagar in Scripture: Genesis 16:6-17
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