04/29/2026
Sometimes life throws us curve balls.
We go down roads we never intended to go down.
We face unmet expectations with heavy disappointment as our answered prayers look differently than we had originally hoped for.
We can find ourselves lost in the wilderness, alone, scared, and heavy-hearted as we wonder how we got to this place we never desired to be. This desolate land can feel downhearted as we believe the lie that it’s the end of our story. Empty, helpless, and hopeless. But when God enters our wilderness, His presence changes everything. Our story can go from the end to just the beginning.
In Genesis 16, we find Hagar in the wilderness, after being mistreated by Sarai. She is familiar with the sting of rejection and walking down a path she never saw herself on. God, filled with mercy and grace, meets her in her desperation. He lovingly opened Hagar’s eyes, refreshed her soul, and reminded her of His promises for her and Isamel.
In the wilderness Hagar developed her relationship with God where we see her name Him El Roi, God who sees me. God was also with Ishmael and provided for him as he grew. Hagar and Ishmael were able to experience God deliver His promises.
Oftentimes we find ourselves in the wilderness because we become too distraught to make sense of our situation. We can be parched, and our soul quenched as we try to survive on our own. We forget about the hope there is in God, and we can become blinded from the one true Source we need. Hagar’s outlook was drastically changed when God opened her eyes and provided for her. He lovingly led her heart to see Him by showing her that He saw her.
Friends, just like Hagar, God sees you.
He sees your needs and desires of your heart. He is always with you! May your faith in Him and who He is, flourish!
“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