“So she called the name of the Lord Who spoke to her, ‘You are a God of seeing.’ For she said, ‘Truly here I have seen Him Who looks after me.’”
Genesis 16:13
Disclaimer: We must remember that we have all been on the giving and receiving end of sins’ consequences (Rom. 3:23). This makes extending forgiveness and grace an act of humility rather than obligation. This article is written to encourage, not puff up or promote self righteous thinking.
The Christian walk is a curious thing sometimes. We strive daily to keep sin from invading our hearts and actions. As we should! Yet, we still find ourselves tripping over the wreckage that sin leaves behind. When we’re putting everything into following Him and sin still finds a way to impede, it starts to wear on our spirit.
The moments when outside sin inserts stress, temptation, and grief into my life are the moments I feel the most spiritually exhausted. Whether I, family, friends, or total strangers begin the fall, sin has a domino effect on others. We’ve all been burned and we’ve all burned someone else with sin. Part of living in a world influenced by Satan is coming into contact, often bearing the pain, of someone else’s sinful choices. Don’t get me wrong, my sin hurts others just as others’ sin hurts me. No one is immune in a fallen world. But there are times that we bear the weight of someone else’s sin. The stress and hurt get heavy.
Thankfully, overcoming is impossible! In Genesis 16:6-16, we read of Sarai’s maidservant, Hagar. Sarai, doubted God’s promise to give Abram a son through her. So, she tells her husband to conceive with Hagar. After conceiving, Hagar was despised and treated harshly by Sarai, to the point of fleeing. Scared, pregnant, and poor, Hagar finds her life upside down and out of her control because of someone else’s poor decisions. In spite of how she felt, Hagar’s life was not as hopeless as she thought. There are a few lessons we can learn from her story.
- Know that God sees you. (Gen. 16:7)
Hagar found herself alone in the wilderness. But just when she thought fear and uncertainty were only hers to bear, God came to her. No doubt, she felt like an ant with such a heavy load, but God still saw her. He not only saw her but cared enough to personally bring her assurance through an angel. Whatever you’re fighting through, God’s see you. He’s with you. And He cares.
2) Ask, “Where have you come from and where are you going?” (Gen. 16:8)
Just like God knew where to find Hagar, He already knew the answers to this question. But this was something Hagar needed to think about. As humans, there’s usually only so much pain we can endure before we act out of fear or the urge to just run away from the cause (person/situation) of our problems. In times of intense emotion, our minds can become so clouded that we forget to think practically. God was giving Hagar the opportunity to get out of her cluttered mind and talk through what she was doing. More than that, He actually tells her to go back and submit to Sarai. When someone else’s sin seems as though it’s ruling your life, running feels like the only option, but endurance is an option that shows just as much control and even more strength. Hagar needed the resources to care for herself and her soon to be son, which meant servitude to Sarai was beneficial in some way, despite the pain. Endurance is also the avenue to immense blessing (v.10-12, 15-16). Hagar would’ve kept running, possibly ruining her and her son’s future, if God had not caused her to stop and talk with Him about what she was doing. Hagar didn’t have a plan, but God did. He does for you too. So, we have to stop, ask ourselves the question above, and make sure that we’re still acting on His plan instead of our own pain.
3) See God in the struggle. (Gen.16:13-14)
Hagar’s reaction to God’s blessing and guidance is perhaps the most important thing we can learn from her. In the midst of fighting sin, we can learn so much about Who our God is. When we trust, He acts. When we pray, He hears. When we endure, He blesses. Hagar was not a perfect person, nor am I. Suffering from one another’s sin is well deserved for each of us. As a servant and sinner in need of help, Hagar was so quick to see God’s love, power, and grace. Even when “her sin” wasn’t the cause of her problems, Hagar recognized the awesomeness of God to see and bless the unassuming servant that she was. When you’re struggling to see the good in your circumstances, look for the good in your God. See Him for Who He is because He’s already seen you and loves you without end.