God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid; God has heard the boy crying as he lies there.” NIV
I’m back to the list of “fear nots” in my concordance.
I love how beautifully this verse dovetails with a few I’ve found over the past week. Here’s Hagar, sobbing in the desert, worried that her precious son will die of thirst. The boy, too, cries out for lack of water, and, the verse says that God heard them.
I think that it is so interesting that the first words uttered by the angel of the Lord are “What’s the matter?” God knows exactly what is wrong. Hagar has been exiled and her most basic needs are not being met. But, He still begins with a question. God wants me to lay out my problems to Him. He wants me to bring my worries to Him so that he can soothe my heart and be the source of solving my problems.
I am struck by verse 19, “Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water.” The verse does not say that God dug a well for her. No, He opened her eyes to see what was already there.
Sometimes, when we are worried and upset and when we are relying on our own resources to solve our problems, we fail to see all of the tools that are at our disposal. I think that one of the reasons that God wants us to bring our worries to Him is so that He can clear our minds and enable us to see what is before us so that we can take advantage of the things that He already has graciously provided.
Hagar goes to the well and draws water. Problem solved.
My prayer today is that God will open my eyes and help me to see the well of water that I know is in my path.
365 Days of Peace 