FOUND IN THE WILDERNESS

“Now the Angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, by the spring on the way to Shur.” – Genesis 16:7

Reference: 

GENESIS 16:1-16

Hagar, Sarah’s maidservant, had one of those ‘too-good-to-be-true’ life-changing stories. From being a house slave, Hagar became her boss’ mistress and even got pregnant for him, while the boss’ wife was unable to conceive or bear a child after many years of marriage. Imagine that pregnant Hagar had morning sicknesses; she would tell Sarah that she couldn’t cook or clean because of the pregnancy. Abram probably gave her more intimate attention because she was carrying his long-awaited child; and she could have used ‘fatigue’ as an excuse not to run errands for Sarah! No wife would take that. Sarah surely did not. She kicked her out of the house and everything changed for Hagar.

Hagar had to leave the house hurriedly without planning or preparing. It appears she was heading back to Egypt, her nation of origin, seeing that the Angel met her at Shur, a place Israel traveled through when leaving Egypt (Exodus 15:22). When Hagar was confronted with hostility and rejection, all she could do was to go back to the familiar, to the place she was coming from – a backward journey. Egypt was a type of sin in the bible, and the journey to Egypt takes a person through the wilderness; a place of loneliness, weariness and thirst. Hagar found a spring of water in the wilderness, and because she was weary, tired and emotionally drained, she sat to drink, to relax, refresh and resume her journey…her journey to Egypt. But God in His mercy found her in the wilderness and stopped her backward journey into Egypt. The Angel reassured her and redirected her, and prophecies were made concerning her future.

Egypt represents giving up and returning to your past, while the wilderness represents the in-between place, where you wrestle with failure, the pain of rejection, loneliness, depression and thoughts of giving up. Perhaps, there are real-life issues you are dealing with that tempt you to ‘throw in the towel’ and return to Egypt – a difficult subject in school, a failed relationship, an impossible spouse, an overbearing boss or even a daunting assignment or responsibility. Are you tired of everything and considering going back to Egypt? Do not go ‘down’ to Egypt…it is never a good journey. God brought you out of Egypt, do not return there. Perhaps, you have started your journey to ‘Egypt’ and are now in the wilderness, dealing with tiredness, loneliness, depression and discouragement, struggling and torn between proceeding on the journey and going God’s way? I pray that the God who found Hagar in her wilderness will find you in your wilderness today and refresh you, restore you and secure your future, in Jesus’ name. Don’t despair and don’t give up, turn it all over to God and He will show up for you.

May your wilderness become a place of encounter, of restoration and refocus. May your wilderness become a fruitful place and may your desert become a garden, in Jesus’ name.

PHOTO QUOTE

Additional Reading:

Isaiah 32:15; Isaiah 35:3-4 & Genesis 26:1-3

Prayers:

+ Ask God to break the hold of discouragement, depression and despair over your life and those of your loved ones. Every desire to go down to Egypt dies, in Jesus’ name.

+ Say, “Dear Father, visit me in my wilderness and do something to encourage my heart and restore my hope, courage and confidence.

+ Declare – My wilderness shall become a place of encounter. My desert shall become a garden, in Jesus’ name.