"The Lord talked to Hagar. She began to use a new name for God. She said to Him, 'You are God Who Sees Me.' She said this because she thought, 'I see that even in this place God sees me and cares for me!'" GENESIS 16:13 (ERV)

As a child, I grew up in a home where abuse happened frequently. The abuse was multifaceted and impacted every area of my esteem and development. The majority of the time, there was nothing I could do because I was a child. As an adult, I have been the recipient of bad decisions made by other adults in my life. I had to learn forgiveness in order to move forward and not blame God. I had to SEE what God was working out in me through the experiences. For everything I suffered, God had a way of making it work for my good and for His glory. There have been many seasons where I suffered vulnerability because of the choices of other people. The pain, anger, and often resentment led me to the throne of God. Broken and bewildered I would cry out to God for healing, restoration, and vindication. Being vulnerable and dealing with other people's choices can really test your faith

Hagar was chosen by Sarai to circumvent the plan of God, because Sarai did not believe that God would make good on His word. After all, Sarai was well-stricken in years. From her vantage point her womb was basically DEAD. In Sarai's mind, it was next to impossible for her to have a child. She was an AGED woman and the batteries in her biological clock were no longer chargeable. Using her own sinful, doubt-filled, wisdom, (probably through pillow-talk) she convinced her husband, Abram, to engage in sinful actions. She convinced Abram to father a child with Hagar despite the fact that God said she would give birth. Abram foolishly succumbed to the unwise counsel of Sarai. And Hager was caught in the midst of a messy situation. Hagar had NO SAY in what happened to her! She was vulnerable. What an awful fate!

When Abram hearkened unto the voice of his wife, Hagar conceived. In Genesis 16:4-6, the Bible tells us that Sarai was "despised in her mistress's eyes." Now that Sarai's "will" had been done, she was stricken with regret and anguish. Many times, after we take matters into our own hands, refusing to wait on God, we see the "messiness" of our actions. After Hagar conceived, she succumbed to her own pride and behaved in a manner unseemly. Hagar's behavior caused Sarai to feel intimidated. Sarai discusses Hagar's "prideful" behavior that taunts her with Abram, and Abram permitted Sarai to do as she chose with Hagar because, after all, Hagar was a mere slave (bondwoman) and Hagar came face to face with Sarai's regret and anguish. Sarai delivered harsh treatment toward Hagar and Hagar became a runaway slave and fled to the wilderness.

Hagar hearkened unto the voice of the angel and because she did, God made her a promise for her well-being and the well-being of her son. In obedience, she returned to the "messy" couple and honored the words of the Lord. As Ishmael grew, Sarah finally conceived and then once again, she had an issue with Hagar. Can you just hear Hagar saying, "Here we go again, Lord?" There are times when we are faced with the same scenario but different characters. We often mistake it for the same thing again. Yet, the lessons are different each time. Ishmael and Isaac grew up together, and Sarah despised it. She demanded that Abraham cast Ishmael and Hagar out. This time, they had no hope of returning. Abraham was not happy with the request of his wife and took the matter to the Lord. The Lord told Abraham to do as Sarah asked. For the safety of both Hagar and Ishmael, they had to leave the presence of Sarah. We often forget that when we are in desperate situations that look bleak, God still has a plan to redeem us and bring us to an expected end. The desperation of Hagar and Ishmael did not change God's promise to them. Their desperation actually put them on the trajectory of God fulfilling His Word. God's redeeming grace would carry both Hagar and her son and bring about a great nation. She would be redeemed from her unchosen vulnerability to a chosen visibility. God saw Hagar, He sees and hears the forgotten (Genesis 16:13).

If you would like to be able to do a complete study of Session Six, order a copy of HER STORY: Redeemed by contacting Empowered Women's Ministry at empoweredwomen@pcg.org or 817.554.5900 ext. 371. Available also at pcg.org/resources or Amazon.

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