This post is Day 6 in a series of studies about “Who is God”. I strongly suggest you begin with the introduction to this study, please click here to read it.

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Who is God – Day 6

Once Hagar discovered that she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress. How awful Sarah must have felt. Realising it was her own fault, she hated what she herself had suggested. After complaining to Abraham, she so mistreated Hagar that the slave girl ran away. God had a plan!

Genesis 16:11

The angel of the Lord also said to Hagar, You are now pregnant, and you will give birth to a son and you shall name him Ishmael

The Thought

Hagar was the servant of Abraham’s wife, Sarai. When Sarai had given up thoughts of ever being a mother, she offered her servant to Abraham as a second wife. Abraham accepted this idea! That way of solving a problem is alien to much of our society today, but God blessed that plan. And Abraham became a father through his concubine.

The chapter goes on to tell us that once Hagar discovered that she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress (Genesis 16:4). How awful Sarah must have felt at that time. Realising that it was her own fault, she hated what she herself had suggested. After complaining to Abraham, she mistreated Hagar so much that the slave girl ran away. But God had a plan! He always does!

In verse 7 we read that an angel of The Lord found Hagar near a spring in the desert and he talked to her addressing her as Hagar and asking what she was doing there. I always smile at that, as if The Lord or His angel didn’t know what she was doing there! He asked her so that she could verbalise her situation and face the problems. The problems for which He already had the solution. He always does!

This angel knew that Hagar was pregnant. The angel also knew the baby would be male and gave Hagar the name.

Ishmael means the God who hears!

Action

Look back on your life and see God’s plan unfolding as you have experienced different things.

Think of prayers you may have prayed years ago and how God answered them.

Read Genesis 16 and note the second name of God mentioned. We’ll look at that tomorrow.

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