Genesis 16:6-11, 13

"Abram replied, 'Look, she is your servant, so deal with her as you see fit.' Then Sarai treated Hagar so harshly that she finally ran away.
"The angel of the LORD found Hagar beside a spring of water in the wilderness, along the road to Shur. The angel said to her, 'Hagar, Sarai's servant, where have you come from, and where are you going?'
"'I'm running away from my mistress, Sarai,' she replied.
"The angel of the LORD said to her, 'Return to your mistress, and submit to her authority.' Then he added, 'I will give you more descendants than you can count.'
And the angel also said, 'You are now pregnant and will give birth to a son. You are to name him Ishmael (which means "God hears,") for the LORD has heard your cry of distress. . . .'
"Thereafter, Hagar used another name to refer to the LORD, who had spoken to her. She said, 'You are the God who sees me.' She also said, 'Have I truly seen the One who sees me?'"

 

Hagar was a victim of other people's poor choices (Abram's and Sarai's). Yet God heard and saw her misery, and met her in the midst of it. Much of our suffering comes as a result of other people's sin. God is especially present to us in those situations. He may not deliver us from the difficulties (he told Hagar to go back and submit to Sarai). Yet this time Hagar knew who was calling the shots. She knew it wasn't Sarai or Abram, but God himself. Remember that God is always with you—and he calls the shots

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Have a Great Day!

Carol

 

'Friends are angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly.'

1 Timothy 3:10

"Before they are appointed as deacons, let them be closely examined. If they pass the test, then let them serve as deacons."

 

Though the context of this verse is appointing deacons, the principle holds in the family or business or any kind of leadership as well: Give some responsibility to test character and ability, and evaluate. If the person does well, give more responsibility. (And could it also be, this is what God does with us?)

Jeremiah 32:17-19, 27 - Jeremiah's Prayer

"'O Sovereign LORD! You made the heavens and earth by your strong hand and powerful arm. Nothing is too hard for you! You show unfailing love to thousands, but you also bring the consequences of one generation's sin upon the next. You are the great and powerful God, the LORD of Heaven's Armies. You have all wisdom and do great and mighty miracles. You see the conduct of all people, and you give them what they deserve.' "'I am the LORD, the God of all the peoples of the world. Is anything too hard for me?'"

 

When Jeremiah prayed, he focused on who God is and what he has done, putting his recent actions—buying the field—into the perspective of God's dealings in the past. When you pray, do you do that? First focus on God—who he is and what he has done—and then express your current reality in light of those things. Try it! And notice that when God answered Jeremiah, he mirrored part of Jeremiah's prayer, affirming that indeed nothing is too hard for him. Remember that especially!