Have you ever read the story of Hagar? You know…Sarah’s slave. The one Sarah gave to her husband to get pregnant, because God was taking His sweet precious time with the promised child.

Well, that last sentence has enough material for several posts, but today I want to talk about something different. Actually someone different.

Hagar.

If you’re like me, you don’t even think of Hagar’s story as her story. It’s the story of Abraham and Sarah’s mistake—with Hagar playing the role of antagonist (‘bad guy’).

After all, through her child, Hagar not only birthed an entire nation, but she birthed one at odds with the children of the Promise. To this day.

He will be a wild donkey of a man,
His hand will be against everyone,
And everyone’s hand will be against him;
And he will live to the east of all his brothers.

Genesis 16:12

A New Light

One of the things I love about Scripture is that it’s the living Word. Just when I think I know a passage like the back of my hand—voila—a new freckle pops out.

I’ve read Genesis many times since becoming a Christian, but I’ve been reading the Bible cover to cover as part of my latest new year’s resolution. This time I couldn’t help but see Hagar’s story differently. I’ve developed a fascination with the names of God through starting this blog and exploring identity in Christ. Looking at the names and attributes of God has become a simple but important avenue to understand this God I serve.

With my new-ish perspective, I found it extremely interesting that Hagar called God a name I haven’t seen anywhere else in scripture: The God Who Sees.

It’s a name used by a woman I always thought was hostile to God and all of His. What can it mean for a woman like Hagar to call God a name no one else uses in Scripture? A name that speaks to her pain and loneliness, and to God’s care of a woman whose son would be hostile to the children of God?

Maybe, just maybe I don’t know as much about Hagar as I once thought. Maybe Genesis is Hagar’s story, too.

Common Ground

Isn’t it funny how God works sometimes? How He works even when we can’t see it yet. The idea for this post has rolled around my head for a long while now.

At the risk of sounding like every TV commercial playing at the moment, I have to say these are unprecedented times. Really that’s the main thought playing in my mind right now. Even after weeks of quarantine, I can’t get past the surreal-ness of it all.

It feels like we’re in one of those pandemic movies, which I’ve always loved by the way, but I can’t say I ever wanted to live one of them. Somehow none of those movies ever adequately captured the sense of isolation that a quarantine would bring. Or the fear of the unknown. Or how different life might be after. 

There are a lot of unknowns right now. Many of us feel isolated. Many of us feel alone. 

Just like Hagar did when God showed up.

The God Who Sees Me

But who was Hagar?

In a nutshell in case you haven’t read her story in a while, Abraham was promised that he and his wife, Sarah, would bear a son in their old age, and through that son all peoples would be blessed. After years of waiting, Sarah got impatient and convinced Abraham to provide a child through Hagar, Sarah’s servant.

Yep, Hagar was Sarah’s slave and Abraham’s concubine. 

Ew.    

When Hagar conceived a child, she hated Sarah. Maybe Hagar was proud of her own ability to conceive when her mistress couldn’t. Or maybe she resented being used in such a manner.

But I can’t help but see Hagar as more than the ‘bad guy’ in Abraham and Sarah’s story now: I see a woman with few choices. Someone with no power over anything in life—even her own body. I see a woman mistreated for the same action she was powerless to stop.

Now I don’t think Hagar was completely blameless by any means. Scripture does say that she was the first to respond with hatred. She didn’t react well to her circumstances. And she became the mother of a whole nation that hated God’s people. 

That hated God’s people. Uh, that’s a big deal. 

I can’t see how she could be counted among the believers when her legacy is one of animosity toward God’s people.

But what jumps out at me now is that God watched over her. God knew who she’d become. He knew. And still He came to her when she felt completely alone. 

Simple Reminders for When You Feel Alone

I love the names of God. They tell us so much about the character of God and His care of us. 

#1 – God sees you.

#2 – God loves you.

#3 – God is with you. 

I don’t know what your situation is. Maybe you’re cooped up with your family—and every day feels the same. Or maybe you’re single and live alone in your home.  

I don’t know. But God does.

He is the God Who Sees. 

If you’re reading this today without ever having surrendered your life to God, I pray you’ll read this page.

Have you read Hagar’s story recently? What jumps out at you? Let me know in the comments below.

Additional Resources

• Never Alone: 15 Bible Verses for When You Feel Alone by Dr. Michelle Bengston 
• 60+ Names and Attributes of GOD & JESUS from HISsparrowBlog
• 10 Must-See Verses for the One Who Feels Ugly from HISsparrowBlog