July 15, 2022

                                                         Listen

 

She gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her. “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.” – Genesis 16:13

 

Hagar had fled. She was done. She’d been unfairly used as a pawn by Sarai and Abram. Now she was pregnant and being abused for it.

 

Back in those days it wasn’t uncommon for a slave to be used as a breeder for children. No one asked their permission. Why would they? Slaves – and women – were property with no voice and no rights.

 

But here’s the thing: God met her in that place. He didn’t ignore her or punish her or demean her in any way. He heard her cry. He listened. Really listened. What an amazing gift!

 

We are a society focused on things. We buy things. We do things. We are quick to tell others what to do and how to do it. We want to “help” them become who we’ve decided they should be. But do we ever really listen to them?

 

It takes time to hear someone. It takes focus and an openness we generally don’t want to give. We want to throw a quick fix their way and be done with it. What a waste! We’ve moved on but they’re left standing there with an empty heart and, likely, resentment at not being heard.

 

Do you want to give someone a gift? Listen to them. Really listen. Don’t focus on your response. Don’t consider how you want to fix them or their situation. And don’t focus on your “wise” advice. Just listen. It’s the greatest gift someone could give to another person.

 

God didn’t miraculously change Hagar’s situation. He could have. Instead, God sent her back to her life as a slave. But she knew God was with her and her unborn son. God heard her. And in that moment that made all the difference in the world

January 3, 2018

God Hears Us

She gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.” – Genesis 16:13

Hagar was an unfortunate pawn. God made a promise to Abram but He never said how long it might take. So Sarai decided to take matters into her own hands. She gave her slave, Hagar, to her husband, Abram, so that perhaps Hagar would get pregnant and give Sarai a child.

Oh, what a storm we create when we fail to wait for God. Hagar did become pregnant but Sarai despised her for it. Hagar ran away but God saw her. Just like He sees us. Just like He sees me.

These last few years have been long and hard. I learned to let things roll off of me, choosing instead to pick my battles. Is it something I simply don’t like? Or is it something that could cause harm to an elderly parent? Some battles just weren’t worth the argument.

As I left that season of caregiving, more challenges awaited me. I found that way too many people either didn’t hear what I said or simply ignored my wishes. It’s as though they assume my voice doesn’t matter. Except it does.

We have become a society that listens in order to respond to what is being said to us. We aren’t concerned about the wishes of others. We don’t particularly care about their opinions. It’s all about us. We make sure of that. We see that clearly in our broken political rhetoric that plays to our emotions rather than to reconciliation and compromise.

No one wants to be dismissed or ignored and it’s frustrating to have someone ignore your wishes in an effort to bully you to accept theirs. We assume that others want what we want and if they don’t, well, that’s their problem. We know more than anyone. Except we don’t.

God saw Hagar. He heard the cries of her heart. God hears us too. He never tunes us out because we aren’t agreeing with Him. God never ignores us. He sees us, flaws and all, and loves us anyway.

When was the last time you really listened to someone who disagrees with you? Have you ever gotten off your own agenda and considered someone else’s viewpoint? We don’t have to agree in order to listen. And listening doesn’t mean we have to change our minds or our actions. It simply shows respect for another human being. Listening says that the words of someone else matter.

Whose voice do you hear today? Is it your own or are you listening to others? Remember that God hears us all and sees what is truly in our hearts. Take a moment and listen. Really listen. You might be surprised at what you learn.

January 20, 2016

Wait On God

Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian slave named Hagar; so she said to Abram, “The Lord has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my slave; perhaps I can build a family through her.”

Abram agreed to what Sarai said. So after Abram had been living in Canaan ten years, Sarai his wife took her Egyptian slave Hagar and gave her to her husband to be his wife. He slept with Hagar, and she conceived.

When she knew she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress. Then Sarai said to Abram, “You are responsible for the wrong I am suffering. I put my slave in your arms, and now that she knows she is pregnant, she despises me. May the Lord judge between you and me.”

“Your slave is in your hands,” Abram said. “Do with her whatever you think best.” Then Sarai mistreated Hagar; so she fled from her. -- Genesis 16:1-6

God promised Abraham that he would have heirs more numerous than the stars in the sky. Abraham waited. And waited. And waited. Then his wife decided to take matters into her owns hands. And, well, it didn’t turn out well.

Waiting for God isn’t always easy, is it? Is it worth it? Yes. Because when we rush ahead of God and try to “help” Him, we create nothing but chaos and heartache. Sarah sure upset her own life and destroyed Hagar’s life too.

Sarah (as we later knew Sarai) didn’t even take responsibility for what she’d done. Not that Abraham was innocent. He should have known better. This is a man who loved God and, years later, would offer up his son as a sacrifice because God told him to. He had to have known that God would keep His promise and provide Abraham with a son. But he went ahead, had sex outside of marriage and then washed his hands of it when his wife got mad.

But getting back to Sarah: Have you ever known someone who made a decision that resulted in bad things and then the person refused to own the original decision? It’s pretty frustrating and probably more common than we all realize. No one really wants to admit to a mistake. A disastrous mistake sends us running in the opposite direction.

So much heartache could be avoided if we just did a few basic things. First ask God what He thinks. Slow down. Wait on His timing. Second, admit it when you make a mistake. Trying to hide your bad decision -- even if your intentions were for good -- only heaps heartache on top of heartbreak.

Trust God. Trust His timing. Trust His promises. And wait.

Thursday, June 7, 2012

Do You See The Lonely?

She gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.” -- Genesis 16:13

Being invisible is one of the loneliest things we could ever experience. When no one sees us, we appear worthless, unimportant, unnecessary. That can destroy a person’s soul.

How hard it must have been for Hagar. She was a servant girl, given by her mistress to that woman’s husband so that she would have children for the mistress. It wasn’t uncommon in those days. But, oh, what heartbreak!

So she ran away. She was tired of being treated badly. Can you relate to that? I sure can. But God sent an angel to speak with her, to send her back, to promise that life would not always be so.

God didn’t call her to something easy. Submitting to a woman who treats you badly isn’t easy. Being treated as property -- which women and servants were in early Biblical times -- is demeaning. And yet she went back. Because God saw her, recognized her pain, and cared for her.

We don’t know anyone like that. Or do we? Do we see the people around us? Do we recognize the hurting, the lost, the alone? Are you sure? Are you really, really sure?

A childhood friend contacted me a while back. She moved away long ago but her mother still lives in our hometown. She mentioned how depressed the older woman had been. She goes to church (a different church from the one I attend) but she feels so alone. With all her family having moved away, she has no one to sit with during worship service. Oh, she’s surrounded by people. It’s a large church. But there’s no one that knows her name and seeks her out. She is just another face in a sea of faces.

This dear woman told my friend that if she suddenly stopped attending church she was certain no one would notice. Even in her Sunday school class, she’s just another body. That is so very sad.

Our church has a program that reaches out to people just like that. The only struggle is locating all who need a friendly face, and sometimes a helping hand, amidst all our attendees. We don’t want anyone to fall through the cracks. But it’s hard to locate the invisible.

That’s where people like you and me come in. God puts us in contact with people who need a friendly face, a kind word, a place to belong. But we have to do our part. We have to open our eyes to see them. And then we have to reach out as Jesus would do and show them kindness and compassion, friendship and God’s love.

Sunday, April 3, 2011

God Hears

She gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her: "You are the God who sees me," for she said, "I have now seen the One who sees me."

-- Genesis 16:13

Hagar was a servant. She belonged to Sarai through her husband Abram. God had promised Sarai and Abram a son but they couldn't see it happening so Sarai took matters into her own hands. She gave Hagar to Abram. I know. It wasn't all that unusual in those days but it sure sounds like rape to me.

But that's another issue. When Hagar did become pregnant, she despised Sarai, who in turn mistreated Hagar. Talk about a soap opera. It is so easy to focus on the couple who became Sarah and Abraham that we forget something really important. No one cared about Hagar, about what she felt and how the decisions other people made affected her. No one except God. He saw. He heard. He cared.

I find that so comforting. God hears when we speak. Even when others ignore our words and our wishes, when we feel alone and ignored. God sees us. He hears our anguished cries of frustration and despair. He never ignores us or turns away.

It is a lesson for all of us. Did you hear the words other people spoke to you today? Or were you too busy planning what you'd say or do to even listen? Were you ignored? Did anyone refuse to acknowledge your words or your presence?

I live in a world where people frequently ignore my words. Even when they hear, they act as though they didn't. I am supposed to go along, be seen only when needed and present a united front to the world. My frustration level is beyond high. Oh, how I hear Hagar when she speaks.

God hears our words, spoken or not. He feels our pain. He sees the truth. How about you? Are you one who is ignored? Or are you one who does the ignoring? Maybe you're both. Listen to the words of those around you. Open your eyes. Hear what other people are saying. You might be amazed at what you'll learn.