@ Etude - Desperation

@ Etude – Desperation

Then she went and sat down opposite him, about a bowshot away, for she said, “ Do not let me see the boy die”. And as she sat down opposite him, she raised her voice and wept.

Genesis 21 v 16

Hagar, the maid had been sent away by Abraham with just a skin bag of water. When the water ran out, she abandoned Ishmael under a bush and sat a little distance away, weeping in desperation. But God heard the voice of Ishmael and revealed to Hagar a well of water. They survived and Ishmael went on to become a strong archer. Ishmael further became the father of twelve tribes. God is faithful and fulfills His promise to different individuals. In our desperation, we tend to give up easily. But the hapless Hagar gives us an example of how God never gives up on us. He sustains us in our desert or wilderness experiences of life.

In times of desperation, the word of God is the well that sustains us. We need to drink deeply of its waters and strengthen ourselves. The Lord will surely hear our cry and come to our help whatever be our situation. Christ in us today as our Saviour and Lord is an indwelling well of hope. Christ in us is the hope of salvation. We do not have to despair but we only need to confide in Him. Hagar on an earlier occasion had run away from the house of Abraham as she could not bear the oppression she was subjected to by Sarah. At that time, the Lord had counselled her to return to the home of Abraham and submit to her mistress Sarah. Years later, Abraham was counselled by the Lord to listen to his wife Sarah and send Hagar and Ishmael away. But the Lord did not abandon Hagar and Ishmael. He gave them hope in a hopeless situation.

The word tells us that the Lord is sensitive to hear even our sighs and moans. He sends his angels to encourage us. He sends the Holy Spirit to comfort and encourage us in our distress. We only need to hold onto our faith and hang on. He gives us hope and a future. It was God who gave Ishmael the skills and strength of an archer so that he could sustain himself and his mother Hagar in the desert. Likewise, in all our most challenging situations of life, the Lord will provide what we need.