September 30, 2025 • 27 mins
Have you ever felt discarded, rejected, or utterly forgotten? The story of Hagar speaks directly to that experience with a message of hope. Hagar's journey from rejected slave to personally encountered by God reveals a powerful truth: when the world walks away, God comes looking. He sees your tears, hears your prayers, and knows your name.
Her story reminds us that often our deepest encounters with God happen not in our moments of triumph, but in our experiences of abandonment and despair.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey friends, I'm doing something I've never done
before.
I'm pulling up a podcast fromthe archives.
As I prepared for this week, Iwas going to record a podcast on
Hagar, because she is a starplayer in the scene series.
She's like the poster child.
But then I realized I alreadyhad a podcast on Hagar.
So I went back and listened toit.
(00:20):
I was like, hey, this is prettygood.
It includes everything I'd wantto say to you today.
So I'm pulling it out anddropping it in here.
Just don't be confused when itsays welcome to Find Hope here.
That was my podcast name, butI've switched to Beauty in the
Brokenness Promise.
So here's the OG Hagar episode.
(00:42):
Several years ago, a friend ofmine was walking through a
painful breakup.
She sent me this heavy-heartedtext which said I feel so
discarded.
Now I knew that this was a hardbreakup, but that word
discarded implied so much morethan just a loss of a
relationship.
In that one word, there werefeelings of being used up,
(01:05):
unnecessary, rejected andunwanted.
Have you ever felt like that,maybe, when someone who once
loved you has walked out of yourlife a spouse, a child, a
friend?
Later she and I spoke on thephone and she said to me where
is God Like, where is he?
Her broken heart reminded me ofthe story of another woman in
(01:30):
scripture from the book ofGenesis, one who is often
overlooked and undervalued, onewho can teach us that when the
whole world walks away, godcomes looking for us.
This is episode 43.
Hi, friend, you're listening toFind Hope here.
(01:53):
I'm your host, teresa Whiting.
Author, speaker, ministryleader, friend and fellow
struggler.
This is a podcast about themessy, complicated, painful
parts of life, but also thebeautiful, joy-filled hope that
Jesus promises.
Each week, we dig deep intoGod's Word together and talk
(02:18):
about how His truth impacts oureveryday lives.
I'm not going to ask you to sitwith me and have coffee,
because I seem to have my bestconversations while I'm just
doing life.
So I'd love to hang out withyou as you walk or fold laundry
or drive to work.
You're invited to join me inpursuing the hope God promises,
no matter where you are or whereyou've been.
(02:40):
I pray you always find hopehere.
Let's jump in to today's episode.
Today I'm going to do anothercreative retelling of the story
of Hagar.
Hagar is one of thosecharacters in scripture who just
(03:01):
seems like she doesn't belong,like she's not somebody that God
would care that much about.
And yet, as we know, as westudy scripture, we know God
always has a heart for the mostunlikely individuals, for those
that the world would cast aside,that the world would discard.
So I'm going to read her storyand then we'll talk about it.
(03:23):
So I'm going to read her storyand then we'll talk about it.
I feel the slightest flutter andrun my hand over my belly.
I've always dreamed of becominga mama, but not like this, not
as a surrogate, not as a body tobe used by others to bear the
child they can't conceive.
Most women celebrate the momentthey know they are pregnant.
(03:46):
I'm devastated and enragedbecause even a place as sacred
as my own womb doesn't belong tome.
It's times like these I mostlong for home.
It's been about six years sinceI came into the possession of
Abram and Sarai.
I've been a slave as long as Ican remember.
(04:06):
Belonging to Pharaoh wasdifficult, but at least I was in
my homeland.
I remember when Abram and Saraicame to visit and Pharaoh took
her into his own harem.
But when he realized he hadbeen deceived by Abram and his
wife, he sent them off withsheep, oxen, donkeys, camels and
(04:30):
slaves.
I was hustled away from myhomeland like so many heads of
cattle or a herd of swine.
Just a few months ago, saraicame to me and demanded I sleep
with Abram, never mind that he's86 years old and I a young
woman, or that I'm an Egyptian.
(04:50):
The years of infertility andunmet longings have gotten the
best of Sarai.
Her God has not fulfilled hispromise.
I overheard a conversationbetween her and Abram and I knew
it was me that Sarah referredto.
The Lord has kept me fromhaving children.
Go sleep with my slave, PerhapsI can build a family through
(05:13):
her.
She took me by the arm and ledme to Abram's tent, no questions
asked.
I had no choice but to give mybody for the use of my master
and mistress.
Why pretend happiness?
I despise Sarai.
I hold her in contempt.
I dread the thought of carryingand bearing this little one
(05:36):
only to hand him over to others.
Though I'm much lower than sheis, though I'm much lower than
she is, in this I'm superior.
I have done what she onlydreamed of.
The once amicable relationshipwe had shared as slave and
(05:56):
mistress has turned bitter.
Recently I heard another heatedexchange behind the tent
curtains.
Sarah, I was raging at Abraham,blaming the whole mess on him.
You are responsible for thewrong.
I'm suffering.
I put my slave in your arms andnow that she knows she's
pregnant, she despises me.
May the Lord judge between youand me.
(06:17):
Abram, worn down by years ofstruggle, puts up no fight.
He shrugs off anyresponsibility to care for me
and the child he has planted inmy womb.
Your slave is in your hands, hesaid.
Do with her whatever you thinkbest, whether it is her anger
over years of infertility or myblatant disrespect, or the idea
(06:41):
that a common slave can do whatshe cannot.
Sarai's harsh treatment is morethan I can bear.
Determined to find my way home,I wander into the wilderness,
but, unbeknownst to me, I'vebeen followed.
I cradle my belly, wonderingwhat the future holds for us.
It doesn't take long to realizethis was a mistake.
(07:08):
How could I walk back to Egypt,pregnant and alone?
But how can I go back?
Coming upon a spring in thedesert, I drop to my knees and
begin scooping water into mymouth, letting it run down my
chin and drip on my tunic.
Suddenly, I hear a voice Hagar,slave of Sarai, where have you
come from and where are yougoing, hagar?
(07:31):
I almost forgot the sound of myown name.
It's been so long since anyoneaddressed me as something other
than slave.
I hear my name on the lips ofthe angel of the Lord.
I hear my name on the lips ofthe angel of the Lord.
Why would he come and seek meout?
I, who hold no place among hischosen people, cannot say why
(07:52):
this God would come for me.
Only that he is here now.
He sought me out in thisdesolate wilderness and though
he knows every detail of mystory, he speaks to me, the
rejected, abused slave girl.
I tell him where I come from.
I'm running away from mymistress, sarai, but I have no
(08:15):
answer to the question and whereare you going?
He acknowledges my pain andmakes a promise about my son.
Then he asks me to do what Idread return and submit to my
mistress.
But before I turn and head back, words pour out of me like a
fountain.
It may be my joy at finallybeing seen and known.
(08:38):
Unlike the gods I grew up with,this God saw my tears and heard
my weeping.
You are El Royi, the God whosees me.
I cry Truly.
I have seen him who looks afterme.
I, the female Egyptian slave,have encountered someone who is
(09:02):
looking out for me.
Maybe I'm not disposable afterall.
Though hard, I return to Sarai.
Eventually, my son is born andI name him as directed by El
Royi, the God who sees me.
His name is Ishmael, whichmeans, incidentally, god hears.
(09:30):
Every time I call his name, I'mreminded of the one who heard
me weeping in the wilderness andcame looking for me.
14 years later, the sound of anewborn cry pierces the air and
along with it the joyful shoutsand laughter of Sarah.
This is no ordinary birth.
I am bearing witness to themiracle of the Lord creating
(09:53):
life in Sarah's dead womb.
God has fulfilled his promise.
God has fulfilled his promise.
The next few years are filledwith wonder and awe for Sarah
Abraham and little Isaac, but ashe grows, the realization dawns
on me that Ishmael and I are nolonger needed here.
One day, there is a grandcelebration, the whole household
(10:17):
is celebrating the weaning ofIsaac and my son mocks him.
That is just the excuse Sarahneeds at last to banish the two
of us for good.
Over the sounds of music andcelebration, I hear these biting
words Cast out this slave womanwith her son, for the son of
(10:40):
this slave woman shall not beheir with my son, isaac.
After all these years, we arestill simply this slave woman
and her son.
Though this is difficult forAbraham, he sends Ishmael and me
into the wilderness with a loafof bread and a skin of water.
(11:00):
It doesn't take long for thewater to dry up.
Since I can't stand to watch myboy die, I settle him under a
bush and go far enough away thatI can't hear him weeping, and I
weep as well.
Once again, I hear my namebeing called from heaven.
What troubles you, hagar?
I hear my name being calledfrom heaven.
(11:20):
What troubles you, hagar?
Fear not, for God has heard theboy's voice where he is Up.
Lift up the boy and hold himfast with your hand, for I will
make him into a great nation.
God opens my eyes and I see awell of water.
I fill the dried out skin andgive my son a drink.
(11:50):
Faithful to his promise, godheard not just me, he also heard
my son.
As Ishmael grew, god was withhim.
His extravagant grace is beyondmy understanding.
Ishmael was not the promisedchild.
He and I appear to be merely ablemish on Abraham and Sarah's
beautiful story.
And yet God cared for us.
He sought us out.
He revealed himself to mepersonally and intimately.
(12:13):
He came to this desperate,lonely slave woman and called me
by name.
He heard the cry of my teenageson and rescued us.
What more could I ask?
I have met the God who sees me.
I have seen him who looks afterme.
(12:33):
Sometimes God brings us intothe wilderness so we can hear
his voice more clearly.
We may come by way of a divorce, a diagnosis or a financial
crisis.
Sometimes it's by way of a jobloss or the loss of a friendship
or the rejection of a prodigalchild.
We may feel like Hagar or likemy friend, who felt completely
(13:00):
and utterly rejected, discarded,but we can be sure that there,
in that wilderness, god has comelooking for us.
What's so stunning about Hagar'sstory is she's introduced in
Genesis 16 as Sarai's femaleEgyptian servant or slave.
(13:24):
First of all, she was female ina patriarchal society where
women were marginalized andoften objects of discrimination.
If that were not enough, shewas Egyptian.
What place could Hagar possiblyhave among the matriarchs and
patriarchs of God's family?
(13:45):
She was a foreigner, anoutsider.
She grew up worshiping idolsand following the pagan customs
of her culture, but by far worsethan both of those was the fact
that Hagar was a slave.
She was most likely acquired byAbraham and Sarah during their
(14:07):
journey through Egypt.
Was she sold alone?
Did she go with her family?
We don't know.
There's no answers to thesequestions.
But as a slave, hagar did nothave dignity or value or freedom
.
She didn't even have autonomyover her own body when she found
(14:29):
herself pregnant.
Is it any wonder that shedespised Sarai, that she looked
at her with contempt?
I'm not justifying her actions.
I'm just saying that I think Ican understand where they came
from, and scripture tells usthat Sarai treated her harshly
so that she fled.
We don't know.
(14:50):
That could have been anythingfrom demoting her or physical
abuse, and we find Hagar out inthe wilderness.
She runs away.
Basically, now, depending onwhere you are in your walk with
God, psalm 139 might either feellike a threat or a comfort, but
(15:10):
I would think to Hagar, if sheheard these words, they would
have been a comfort.
I know that over the years theyhave been a huge comfort to me.
Listen to Psalm 139, verses 1through 12.
(15:34):
You discern my going out and mylying down.
You are familiar with all myways Before a word is on my
tongue.
You know it completely, o Lord.
You hem me in behind and beforeyou have laid your hand upon me
.
Such knowledge is too wonderfulfor me, too lofty for me to
(15:58):
attain.
Where can I go from your spirit?
Where can I flee from yourpresence?
If I go up to the heavens, youare there.
If I make my bed in the depths,you are there.
If I rise on the wings of thedawn, if I settle on the far
side of the sea, even there yourhand will guide me.
Your right hand will hold mefast.
(16:21):
If I say surely the darknesswill hide me and the light
become night around me.
Even the darkness will not bedark to you.
The night will shine like theday, for darkness is as light to
you.
No matter where we go, god isthere, he is with us.
(16:42):
We can't outrun him, we can'toutcry him, we can't be in such
a deep dark hole that we're outof his reach.
And what amazes me is that, ofall people, god went searching
for Hagar.
Ishmael was not the son ofpromise, hagar was not part of
(17:04):
the chosen family, and Genesis16, 7 says the angel of the Lord
found Hagar near a spring inthe desert.
That word found means to seekout, to find by looking for.
He was searching for her.
He was on a mission to find herand he called her by name.
(17:25):
If you read this story of Hagar, you'll find it in Genesis 16
and 21.
It's so fascinating because noone in the story calls her by
name, except the angel of theLord.
In the story calls her by name,except the angel of the Lord,
(17:46):
no-transcript.
I've heard that the sweetestsound that anybody ever hears is
the sound of their own name.
And if you read the narrative,abraham and Sarah don't ever
refer to her by name.
They say my slave, your slave,her, she.
And yet the angel comes and hecalls her by name.
(18:10):
No wonder she was so ecstaticthat God came looking for her.
She did something no one elsein all of scripture has ever
done.
She named God.
She said you are El Royi, theGod who sees me.
I have seen the one who looksafter me.
I want you to think about howhave you seen God look after you
(18:35):
?
Think back over your life.
When has he come looking foryou?
When has he met you in a dark,desolate place?
Not only does God see, he hears.
God told Hagar to name her son,ishmael.
And Ishmael means God hears,and we see him following through
(18:59):
on who he is in Genesis 21, 17.
It says God heard the boycrying and the angel of God
called to Hagar from heaven andsaid to her what is the matter,
hagar, do not be afraid.
God has heard the boy crying ashe lies there.
So we see, god sees, god hears.
(19:23):
A few weeks ago I was readingin Isaiah and I came across this
phrase when Hezekiah was cryingout to God.
And he sends a message toHezekiah and he says I have
heard your prayers and seen yourtears.
Well, that sent me on a littlebit of a hunt through scripture.
I love to trace the threads ofideas through scripture and so I
(19:46):
looked up this idea of Godseeing our tears and hearing our
prayers and I saw it showing upover and over again.
In Psalm 6, verse 8, thepsalmist says Depart from me all
you workers of evil, for theLord has heard the sound of my
weeping, the Lord has heard myplea, the Lord accepts my prayer
(20:11):
.
In Psalm 3, verse 4, it says Tothe Lord I cry aloud and he
answers me from his holymountain.
Psalm 28, 6 says Blessed be theLord, for he has heard my cry
for mercy.
Psalm 40, verses 1 and 2, say Iwaited patiently for the Lord
(20:32):
and he inclined to me and heardmy prayer.
Psalm 116, 1 and 2 say I lovethe Lord because he hears my
voice and my prayer for mercy,because he bends down to listen.
I will pray as long as I havebreath.
And verse 8 says he has savedme from death, my eyes from
(20:57):
tears, my feet from stumbling.
Verse 11 says in my anxiety, Icried out to you.
And this is what I love whenyou and I are in a dark place,
when you and I are crying andpraying and it seems like we're
waiting and we don't know ifanybody's listening, we know for
(21:21):
sure that God hears, that hesees.
It makes me think of the storyof Leah, and I know that in her
story it says God saw that Leahwas hated.
She was in a terrible situationin her marriage and God saw, he
knew.
He did some amazing things forher, which we'll talk about in
(21:43):
another episode.
If we think about Hagar, shegrew up in Egypt.
That was a nation that did notfollow God.
They had idols.
They worshipped all differentdeities, and here's what Psalm
135, 15 to 17 says the idols ofthe nations are silver and gold,
(22:05):
the work of human hands.
They have mouths but do notspeak.
They have eyes but do not see.
They have ears but do not speak.
They have eyes but do not see.
They have ears but do not hear.
Nor is there any breath intheir mouth.
When Hagar met the God ofIsrael, she met a God who has
eyes, who has ears, who isattentive to those he loves.
(22:28):
There are so many beautifullessons that we learn about God
from Hagar's life.
We see him once again as arescuer, as the initiator, as
the one who comes looking for uswhen we're not necessarily even
looking for him.
We see God again reaching downtoward the least likely.
(22:50):
We see him as a promise keeper.
God had made a promise to Saraiand Abram that they would bear
a child, and even though theytried to take matters into their
own hands and figure out a waythat they could help God keep
his promise, he didn't need anyhelp.
He performed a miracle on theirbehalf.
(23:11):
But he also kept his promise toHagar.
He promised Hagar that her sonwould be a great nation, and
when it looked like all hope waslost, god heard his cry and God
came to their rescue.
Again.
When the people in your lifetell you that you're not
(23:35):
important, whether that's withwords, with actions, with
silence, and you find yourselfin a desolate place in a
wilderness, you need to knowthat God is not finished with
you.
You can be sure that he isseeking you out.
Listen for him, open his word,hear his voice.
(23:58):
Where is God, my sweet friend?
Where is he?
He has come looking for you.
He hears your weeping, he seesyour tears and, right this
moment, he is calling you byname.
(24:20):
Thanks for hanging out with metoday on Find Hope here.
To find anything I mentioned onthe episode, go to
TeresaWhitingcom slash listen.
That's where you can find allthe show notes.
Also, I wanted to let you knowthat I am available as a speaker
.
Last week, I had the privilegeof speaking at my alma mater,
(24:42):
clark Summit University inChapel, and I love more than
anything connecting withlisteners in real life.
If you're involved in any typeof ministry that has speakers,
come in.
I would love for you to reachout and make a connection with
me.
I'll put a link to my bookinginfo in the show notes and
(25:05):
finally, I'd like to leave youwith this prayer from Romans 15,
13.
Prayer from Romans 15 13.
May the God of hope fill youwith all joy and peace in
believing, so that, by the powerof the Holy Spirit, you may
abound in hope.
Hey friends, I'm doing something I've never done
before.
I'm pulling up a podcast fromthe archives.
As I prepared for this week, Iwas going to record a podcast on
Hagar, because she is a starplayer in the scene series.
She's like the poster child.
But then I realized I alreadyhad a podcast on Hagar.
So I went back and listened toit.
(00:20):
I was like, hey, this is prettygood.
It includes everything I'd wantto say to you today.
So I'm pulling it out anddropping it in here.
Just don't be confused when itsays welcome to Find Hope here.
That was my podcast name, butI've switched to Beauty in the
Brokenness Promise.
So here's the OG Hagar episode.
(00:42):
Several years ago, a friend ofmine was walking through a
painful breakup.
She sent me this heavy-heartedtext which said I feel so
discarded.
Now I knew that this was a hardbreakup, but that word
discarded implied so much morethan just a loss of a
relationship.
In that one word, there werefeelings of being used up,
(01:05):
unnecessary, rejected andunwanted.
Have you ever felt like that,maybe, when someone who once
loved you has walked out of yourlife a spouse, a child, a
friend?
Later she and I spoke on thephone and she said to me where
is God Like, where is he?
Her broken heart reminded me ofthe story of another woman in
(01:30):
scripture from the book ofGenesis, one who is often
overlooked and undervalued, onewho can teach us that when the
whole world walks away, godcomes looking for us.
This is episode 43.
Hi, friend, you're listening toFind Hope here.
(01:53):
I'm your host, teresa Whiting.
Author, speaker, ministryleader, friend and fellow
struggler.
This is a podcast about themessy, complicated, painful
parts of life, but also thebeautiful, joy-filled hope that
Jesus promises.
Each week, we dig deep intoGod's Word together and talk
(02:18):
about how His truth impacts oureveryday lives.
I'm not going to ask you to sitwith me and have coffee,
because I seem to have my bestconversations while I'm just
doing life.
So I'd love to hang out withyou as you walk or fold laundry
or drive to work.
You're invited to join me inpursuing the hope God promises,
no matter where you are or whereyou've been.
(02:40):
I pray you always find hopehere.
Let's jump in to today's episode.
Today I'm going to do anothercreative retelling of the story
of Hagar.
Hagar is one of thosecharacters in scripture who just
(03:01):
seems like she doesn't belong,like she's not somebody that God
would care that much about.
And yet, as we know, as westudy scripture, we know God
always has a heart for the mostunlikely individuals, for those
that the world would cast aside,that the world would discard.
So I'm going to read her storyand then we'll talk about it.
(03:23):
So I'm going to read her storyand then we'll talk about it.
I feel the slightest flutter andrun my hand over my belly.
I've always dreamed of becominga mama, but not like this, not
as a surrogate, not as a body tobe used by others to bear the
child they can't conceive.
Most women celebrate the momentthey know they are pregnant.
(03:46):
I'm devastated and enragedbecause even a place as sacred
as my own womb doesn't belong tome.
It's times like these I mostlong for home.
It's been about six years sinceI came into the possession of
Abram and Sarai.
I've been a slave as long as Ican remember.
(04:06):
Belonging to Pharaoh wasdifficult, but at least I was in
my homeland.
I remember when Abram and Saraicame to visit and Pharaoh took
her into his own harem.
But when he realized he hadbeen deceived by Abram and his
wife, he sent them off withsheep, oxen, donkeys, camels and
(04:30):
slaves.
I was hustled away from myhomeland like so many heads of
cattle or a herd of swine.
Just a few months ago, saraicame to me and demanded I sleep
with Abram, never mind that he's86 years old and I a young
woman, or that I'm an Egyptian.
(04:50):
The years of infertility andunmet longings have gotten the
best of Sarai.
Her God has not fulfilled hispromise.
I overheard a conversationbetween her and Abram and I knew
it was me that Sarah referredto.
The Lord has kept me fromhaving children.
Go sleep with my slave, PerhapsI can build a family through
(05:13):
her.
She took me by the arm and ledme to Abram's tent, no questions
asked.
I had no choice but to give mybody for the use of my master
and mistress.
Why pretend happiness?
I despise Sarai.
I hold her in contempt.
I dread the thought of carryingand bearing this little one
(05:36):
only to hand him over to others.
Though I'm much lower than sheis, though I'm much lower than
she is, in this I'm superior.
I have done what she onlydreamed of.
The once amicable relationshipwe had shared as slave and
(05:56):
mistress has turned bitter.
Recently I heard another heatedexchange behind the tent
curtains.
Sarah, I was raging at Abraham,blaming the whole mess on him.
You are responsible for thewrong.
I'm suffering.
I put my slave in your arms andnow that she knows she's
pregnant, she despises me.
May the Lord judge between youand me.
(06:17):
Abram, worn down by years ofstruggle, puts up no fight.
He shrugs off anyresponsibility to care for me
and the child he has planted inmy womb.
Your slave is in your hands, hesaid.
Do with her whatever you thinkbest, whether it is her anger
over years of infertility or myblatant disrespect, or the idea
(06:41):
that a common slave can do whatshe cannot.
Sarai's harsh treatment is morethan I can bear.
Determined to find my way home,I wander into the wilderness,
but, unbeknownst to me, I'vebeen followed.
I cradle my belly, wonderingwhat the future holds for us.
It doesn't take long to realizethis was a mistake.
(07:08):
How could I walk back to Egypt,pregnant and alone?
But how can I go back?
Coming upon a spring in thedesert, I drop to my knees and
begin scooping water into mymouth, letting it run down my
chin and drip on my tunic.
Suddenly, I hear a voice Hagar,slave of Sarai, where have you
come from and where are yougoing, hagar?
(07:31):
I almost forgot the sound of myown name.
It's been so long since anyoneaddressed me as something other
than slave.
I hear my name on the lips ofthe angel of the Lord.
I hear my name on the lips ofthe angel of the Lord.
Why would he come and seek meout?
I, who hold no place among hischosen people, cannot say why
(07:52):
this God would come for me.
Only that he is here now.
He sought me out in thisdesolate wilderness and though
he knows every detail of mystory, he speaks to me, the
rejected, abused slave girl.
I tell him where I come from.
I'm running away from mymistress, sarai, but I have no
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answer to the question and whereare you going?
He acknowledges my pain andmakes a promise about my son.
Then he asks me to do what Idread return and submit to my
mistress.
But before I turn and head back, words pour out of me like a
fountain.
It may be my joy at finallybeing seen and known.
(08:38):
Unlike the gods I grew up with,this God saw my tears and heard
my weeping.
You are El Royi, the God whosees me.
I cry Truly.
I have seen him who looks afterme.
I, the female Egyptian slave,have encountered someone who is
(09:02):
looking out for me.
Maybe I'm not disposable afterall.
Though hard, I return to Sarai.
Eventually, my son is born andI name him as directed by El
Royi, the God who sees me.
His name is Ishmael, whichmeans, incidentally, god hears.
(09:30):
Every time I call his name, I'mreminded of the one who heard
me weeping in the wilderness andcame looking for me.
14 years later, the sound of anewborn cry pierces the air and
along with it the joyful shoutsand laughter of Sarah.
This is no ordinary birth.
I am bearing witness to themiracle of the Lord creating
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life in Sarah's dead womb.
God has fulfilled his promise.
God has fulfilled his promise.
The next few years are filledwith wonder and awe for Sarah
Abraham and little Isaac, but ashe grows, the realization dawns
on me that Ishmael and I are nolonger needed here.
One day, there is a grandcelebration, the whole household
(10:17):
is celebrating the weaning ofIsaac and my son mocks him.
That is just the excuse Sarahneeds at last to banish the two
of us for good.
Over the sounds of music andcelebration, I hear these biting
words Cast out this slave womanwith her son, for the son of
(10:40):
this slave woman shall not beheir with my son, isaac.
After all these years, we arestill simply this slave woman
and her son.
Though this is difficult forAbraham, he sends Ishmael and me
into the wilderness with a loafof bread and a skin of water.
(11:00):
It doesn't take long for thewater to dry up.
Since I can't stand to watch myboy die, I settle him under a
bush and go far enough away thatI can't hear him weeping, and I
weep as well.
Once again, I hear my namebeing called from heaven.
What troubles you, hagar?
I hear my name being calledfrom heaven.
(11:20):
What troubles you, hagar?
Fear not, for God has heard theboy's voice where he is Up.
Lift up the boy and hold himfast with your hand, for I will
make him into a great nation.
God opens my eyes and I see awell of water.
I fill the dried out skin andgive my son a drink.
(11:50):
Faithful to his promise, godheard not just me, he also heard
my son.
As Ishmael grew, god was withhim.
His extravagant grace is beyondmy understanding.
Ishmael was not the promisedchild.
He and I appear to be merely ablemish on Abraham and Sarah's
beautiful story.
And yet God cared for us.
He sought us out.
He revealed himself to mepersonally and intimately.
(12:13):
He came to this desperate,lonely slave woman and called me
by name.
He heard the cry of my teenageson and rescued us.
What more could I ask?
I have met the God who sees me.
I have seen him who looks afterme.
(12:33):
Sometimes God brings us intothe wilderness so we can hear
his voice more clearly.
We may come by way of a divorce, a diagnosis or a financial
crisis.
Sometimes it's by way of a jobloss or the loss of a friendship
or the rejection of a prodigalchild.
We may feel like Hagar or likemy friend, who felt completely
(13:00):
and utterly rejected, discarded,but we can be sure that there,
in that wilderness, god has comelooking for us.
What's so stunning about Hagar'sstory is she's introduced in
Genesis 16 as Sarai's femaleEgyptian servant or slave.
(13:24):
First of all, she was female ina patriarchal society where
women were marginalized andoften objects of discrimination.
If that were not enough, shewas Egyptian.
What place could Hagar possiblyhave among the matriarchs and
patriarchs of God's family?
(13:45):
She was a foreigner, anoutsider.
She grew up worshiping idolsand following the pagan customs
of her culture, but by far worsethan both of those was the fact
that Hagar was a slave.
She was most likely acquired byAbraham and Sarah during their
(14:07):
journey through Egypt.
Was she sold alone?
Did she go with her family?
We don't know.
There's no answers to thesequestions.
But as a slave, hagar did nothave dignity or value or freedom
.
She didn't even have autonomyover her own body when she found
(14:29):
herself pregnant.
Is it any wonder that shedespised Sarai, that she looked
at her with contempt?
I'm not justifying her actions.
I'm just saying that I think Ican understand where they came
from, and scripture tells usthat Sarai treated her harshly
so that she fled.
We don't know.
(14:50):
That could have been anythingfrom demoting her or physical
abuse, and we find Hagar out inthe wilderness.
She runs away.
Basically, now, depending onwhere you are in your walk with
God, psalm 139 might either feellike a threat or a comfort, but
(15:10):
I would think to Hagar, if sheheard these words, they would
have been a comfort.
I know that over the years theyhave been a huge comfort to me.
Listen to Psalm 139, verses 1through 12.
(15:34):
You discern my going out and mylying down.
You are familiar with all myways Before a word is on my
tongue.
You know it completely, o Lord.
You hem me in behind and beforeyou have laid your hand upon me
.
Such knowledge is too wonderfulfor me, too lofty for me to
(15:58):
attain.
Where can I go from your spirit?
Where can I flee from yourpresence?
If I go up to the heavens, youare there.
If I make my bed in the depths,you are there.
If I rise on the wings of thedawn, if I settle on the far
side of the sea, even there yourhand will guide me.
Your right hand will hold mefast.
(16:21):
If I say surely the darknesswill hide me and the light
become night around me.
Even the darkness will not bedark to you.
The night will shine like theday, for darkness is as light to
you.
No matter where we go, god isthere, he is with us.
(16:42):
We can't outrun him, we can'toutcry him, we can't be in such
a deep dark hole that we're outof his reach.
And what amazes me is that, ofall people, god went searching
for Hagar.
Ishmael was not the son ofpromise, hagar was not part of
(17:04):
the chosen family, and Genesis16, 7 says the angel of the Lord
found Hagar near a spring inthe desert.
That word found means to seekout, to find by looking for.
He was searching for her.
He was on a mission to find herand he called her by name.
(17:25):
If you read this story of Hagar, you'll find it in Genesis 16
and 21.
It's so fascinating because noone in the story calls her by
name, except the angel of theLord.
In the story calls her by name,except the angel of the Lord,
(17:46):
no-transcript.
I've heard that the sweetestsound that anybody ever hears is
the sound of their own name.
And if you read the narrative,abraham and Sarah don't ever
refer to her by name.
They say my slave, your slave,her, she.
And yet the angel comes and hecalls her by name.
(18:10):
No wonder she was so ecstaticthat God came looking for her.
She did something no one elsein all of scripture has ever
done.
She named God.
She said you are El Royi, theGod who sees me.
I have seen the one who looksafter me.
I want you to think about howhave you seen God look after you
(18:35):
?
Think back over your life.
When has he come looking foryou?
When has he met you in a dark,desolate place?
Not only does God see, he hears.
God told Hagar to name her son,ishmael.
And Ishmael means God hears,and we see him following through
(18:59):
on who he is in Genesis 21, 17.
It says God heard the boycrying and the angel of God
called to Hagar from heaven andsaid to her what is the matter,
hagar, do not be afraid.
God has heard the boy crying ashe lies there.
So we see, god sees, god hears.
(19:23):
A few weeks ago I was readingin Isaiah and I came across this
phrase when Hezekiah was cryingout to God.
And he sends a message toHezekiah and he says I have
heard your prayers and seen yourtears.
Well, that sent me on a littlebit of a hunt through scripture.
I love to trace the threads ofideas through scripture and so I
(19:46):
looked up this idea of Godseeing our tears and hearing our
prayers and I saw it showing upover and over again.
In Psalm 6, verse 8, thepsalmist says Depart from me all
you workers of evil, for theLord has heard the sound of my
weeping, the Lord has heard myplea, the Lord accepts my prayer
(20:11):
.
In Psalm 3, verse 4, it says Tothe Lord I cry aloud and he
answers me from his holymountain.
Psalm 28, 6 says Blessed be theLord, for he has heard my cry
for mercy.
Psalm 40, verses 1 and 2, say Iwaited patiently for the Lord
(20:32):
and he inclined to me and heardmy prayer.
Psalm 116, 1 and 2 say I lovethe Lord because he hears my
voice and my prayer for mercy,because he bends down to listen.
I will pray as long as I havebreath.
And verse 8 says he has savedme from death, my eyes from
(20:57):
tears, my feet from stumbling.
Verse 11 says in my anxiety, Icried out to you.
And this is what I love whenyou and I are in a dark place,
when you and I are crying andpraying and it seems like we're
waiting and we don't know ifanybody's listening, we know for
(21:21):
sure that God hears, that hesees.
It makes me think of the storyof Leah, and I know that in her
story it says God saw that Leahwas hated.
She was in a terrible situationin her marriage and God saw, he
knew.
He did some amazing things forher, which we'll talk about in
(21:43):
another episode.
If we think about Hagar, shegrew up in Egypt.
That was a nation that did notfollow God.
They had idols.
They worshipped all differentdeities, and here's what Psalm
135, 15 to 17 says the idols ofthe nations are silver and gold,
(22:05):
the work of human hands.
They have mouths but do notspeak.
They have eyes but do not see.
They have ears but do not speak.
They have eyes but do not see.
They have ears but do not hear.
Nor is there any breath intheir mouth.
When Hagar met the God ofIsrael, she met a God who has
eyes, who has ears, who isattentive to those he loves.
(22:28):
There are so many beautifullessons that we learn about God
from Hagar's life.
We see him once again as arescuer, as the initiator, as
the one who comes looking for uswhen we're not necessarily even
looking for him.
We see God again reaching downtoward the least likely.
(22:50):
We see him as a promise keeper.
God had made a promise to Saraiand Abram that they would bear
a child, and even though theytried to take matters into their
own hands and figure out a waythat they could help God keep
his promise, he didn't need anyhelp.
He performed a miracle on theirbehalf.
(23:11):
But he also kept his promise toHagar.
He promised Hagar that her sonwould be a great nation, and
when it looked like all hope waslost, god heard his cry and God
came to their rescue.
Again.
When the people in your lifetell you that you're not
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important, whether that's withwords, with actions, with
silence, and you find yourselfin a desolate place in a
wilderness, you need to knowthat God is not finished with
you.
You can be sure that he isseeking you out.
Listen for him, open his word,hear his voice.
(23:58):
Where is God, my sweet friend?
Where is he?
He has come looking for you.
He hears your weeping, he seesyour tears and, right this
moment, he is calling you byname.
(24:20):
Thanks for hanging out with metoday on Find Hope here.
To find anything I mentioned onthe episode, go to
TeresaWhitingcom slash listen.
That's where you can find allthe show notes.
Also, I wanted to let you knowthat I am available as a speaker
.
Last week, I had the privilegeof speaking at my alma mater,
(24:42):
clark Summit University inChapel, and I love more than
anything connecting withlisteners in real life.
If you're involved in any typeof ministry that has speakers,
come in.
I would love for you to reachout and make a connection with
me.
I'll put a link to my bookinginfo in the show notes and
(25:05):
finally, I'd like to leave youwith this prayer from Romans 15,
13.
Prayer from Romans 15 13.
May the God of hope fill youwith all joy and peace in
believing, so that, by the powerof the Holy Spirit, you may
abound in hope.
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