“But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless a mighty hand compels him. So I will stretch out my hand …” Exodus 3: 19-20 I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless a mighty hand compels him,” God said to Moses. I rephrase this statement as follows: “I know that the devil will not leave you alone unless a mighty hand compels him.” That sounds totally true. Satan has to be compelled to leave you alone, to let you go. He will never willingly let you go. This goes to show the determination that Satan has when it comes to constraining the children of God; he wants to keep them in bondage forever. Christians, therefore, need to be more determined than the devil to free themselves from his shackles. Unfortunately, a number of Christians are too lukewarm or absent-minded to even think of getting their freedom; such Christians, therefore, remain under Satan’s bondage in various areas of their lives. The devil is determined to bind you forever. If the devil i...
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
It seems every Christian gets to this point at least once in their lifetime, the point at which they wonder whether God is still with them.
“God, where are you?” the believer whispers. “God, why have you left me alone?” others hazard to conclude.
This teaching is meant to motivate you and also strengthen you so that you will face difficulties with faith and courage.
It is usually when one goes through difficult times that one wonders if God is still with them.
Consider Hagar. She had fled home because she had been mistreated by Sarai. Evidently, Hagar was in the wrong for despising Sarai, the hand that had fed her, but that’s beside the point.
After fleeing from Sarai, Hagar went into the desert, a place of extreme difficulty. I don’t think Hagar knew where she was headed. I don’t think she had any specific destination in mind; she was just escaping mistreatment.
You can appreciate the situation Hagar was in at the time. In describing the gravity of Hagar’s circumstances, the Bible says she was in misery (Genesis 16:11).
It usually is in such situations of need that one wonders whether God is still with them. “God, where are you when I need you the most?” Hagar must surely have queried in her heart.
Now to the encouraging part: “The angel of the LORD found Hagar near a spring in the desert; it was the spring that is beside the road to Shur.” Genesis 16:7
A spring is “a source of water” (Wikipedia). Imagine finding this in the desert, probably the hottest of places!
The above-cited verse is truly inspiring. I take two lessons from it:
The first lesson is that God sees you even when dark clouds obstruct your own vision. You don’t seem to see Him. You think He has abandoned or disowned you. Yet you are never out of His sight!
Consider Hagar. In her predicament, and probably not expecting any help, expecting to perish, the Bible says, “The angel of the LORD found (her)…”
The angel of the LORD found Hagar only because the eye of the LORD had been on her all the time; God never looked aside, even for a second.
If God’s eye can be on a sparrow always, how could it not be on you too?
The second lesson is that in every situation, whatever your surroundings, there is always a spring nearby. Hagar was in the desert, a very difficult environment, and yet there before her, was a spring, probably the source of the most needed provision in such high temperatures!
Whatever your surroundings, and whatever your circumstances, there is always a spring (of water) nearby. You will never die of thirst. Know this.
So, never lose your focus. Your gaze should always be on Christ, and not on your challenges, for Christ is the spring that can cool down your difficult circumstances! He alone can quench your thirst and pull you out of that crater.
Saying this is one thing; practicing it in real-life situations is another. But that is exactly what we are encouraged to do, to walk the talk, even though it may be extremely difficult at times. For what would we benefit from acting contrary to this encouragement?
It is what you believe that would either sustain or break you in difficult times and situations.
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
Beautiful.
Please consider taking this teaching to heart.
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