Genesis Series # 4 CHCC: February 4, 2007
The God, Who Sees Me
Genesis 16:1-14
INTRODUCTION:
An atheist was out fishing in Scotland, when all of a sudden a huge Dragon type Amphibian began to emerge from the water. With snarling teeth it slithered closer to the atheist. In desperation he cried out, “Dear God, Please save me!”
All of a sudden, the heavens opened and a deep voice said, “I thought you didn’t believe in Me.”
To that the atheist responded, “Give me a break, two minutes ago I didn’t believe in the Loch Ness Monster either!”
That may be how the main character in today’s sermon felt. We’re going to look at a woman named Hagar. She may or may not have believed in God before He spoke to her. But she surely believed in Him afterwards.
The book of Genesis tells about different people who heard directly from God. God spoke face to face with Adam and Eve in the Garden. He spoke to Noah and gave him instructions about building the Ark. Last week we studied about how God spoke with Abram and made a Covenant with him. This week we’re going to look Hagar --- a woman who never thought God would take notice of her.
Hagar was not an important person. She was not wealthy. She was not full of faith. In fact, her only claim to fame was that she ended up in the middle of a big, ugly, complicated, mess. Hagar’s story is not a pretty one. But we can learn some important lessons from her story in Genesis chapter 16. The first thing we can learn is also the first thing Hagar learned. And that is, quite simply, that life is a struggle.
1. Life is a Struggle Genesis 16:1-6
Have you ever watched that old classic Christmas movie, It’s a Wonderful Life? Most of the movie shows how Jimmy Stewart’s life was NOT so wonderful … but then it has a happily ever after ending. Well, the story of Hagar is NOT a story of a Wonderful Life. And it doesn’t have a happy ending. That’s how it is with a lot of stories in the Bible. The Bible doesn’t sugar-coat reality.
Consider these scriptures: Job 5:7 says Man is born into trouble as the sparks fly upward.
Job 14:1 says Man that is born of a woman is of few days and full of trouble.
Jesus said, in John 16:33, “In the world you will have tribulation…”
At its best, life can be a struggle. And no one would say Hagar had life at its best. For one thing, when Hagar was very young, she was sold as a slave to Abraham’s household … far removed from her own country of Egypt. God had promised that Abraham’s descendants would be as numberless as the stars. But years came and went … and Sarah became desperate. She decided to choose a surrogate to have a child for Abraham. Back then, that was a common practice --- but it wasn’t God’s plan.
There’s plenty we could say about the mistake Abraham and Sarah here. But this is Hagar’s story today, so let’s look at it from HER perspective. Hagar had very little control over what happened to her. She was young. She was a slave. She was far away from family and friends. She may have thought her life was going to get better when she conceived a child --- but instead things got much worse.
Hagar evidently decided that … since she was going to have Abraham’s child … she no longer had to show respect to Sarah. As you might expect, Sarah complained to Abraham about Hagar’s attitude. And, as you might expect, Abraham tried to stay out of the middle. Abraham told Sarah to handle it any way she wished. (…then he probably went off on a long hunting trip or something.)
The Bible describes the end result in one short, telling sentence, “Then Sarai mistreated Hagar; so she fled from her.”
If you ever feel like life is out of your control --- if your situation seems hopeless --- if you feel like no one understands, no one can help, and no one even cares --- then look at the story of Hagar. Hagar teaches us that God sees our Struggles.
2. God Sees our Struggles Genesis 16:7
Genesis 16:7 says The angel of the LORD found Hagar near a spring in the desert; it was the spring that is beside the road to Shur. Hagar was homeless, hungry, broke --- all alone and pregnant in a vast wilderness. She was a “nobody” with nothing to offer.
Worst of all, the very people who should have helped her … Abraham and Sarah … the people who knew God … they were the ones who were hurting her. But God did not abandon Hagar. God went to her … right where she was. Notice how specific this verse is. God knew exactly where Hagar was, and He knew just the moment when she would be ready to listen to what He had to say.
In your darkest moment, when your problem seems too ugly and twisted and complicated to solve, God sees you. God knows exactly where you are --- and He will come to you. Hagar didn’t expect it. Genesis 16:13 tells how she reacted: She gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her: "You are the God who sees me," for she said, "I have now seen the One who sees me."
Hagar gave God the name “El Roi” – the God who sees. This is the only time this Title is applied to God, and it came from a runaway slave who found herself in the middle of a hopeless, tangled mess. God sees your heartache. He sees your struggles. He understands your turmoil. God is there with you at your lowest point. He is YOUR El Roi – He is the God who sees you.
Years ago, I spent a summer working at Church Camp in Prescott, Arizona. I took a wrong turn --- walking back to the camp from a trip into town ---and I got hopelessly lost. After I walked around a water tower in the dark, I completely lost my sense of direction. It was getting late. I was feeling hopeless. Finally I stopped walking in circles and prayed for help.
I decided to go to the first house with a porch light on to ask for directions. Turning a corner,I saw a porch light on, --- so I knocked on the door and told the lady who answered about my dilemma. She pointed up to the end of the street and said, “That road will get you back to camp.” Then she added, “I’d be glad to drive you to the camp if you’d like.” That was one of my early lessons about the power of Prayer. I was glad to discover that “El Roi” --- the God who sees --- was able to see ME that dark night in Prescott.
Of course, God does more than SEE you. God will offer you a SOLUTION to all your problems.
3. God offers a Solution Genesis 16:8-9
It doesn’t matter how tangled and messed up your life is, God knows the next step you need to take. In the case of Hagar, God started with a question: He said, "Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?" And Hagar answered honestly: "I’m running away from my mistress Sarai.” Genesis 16:8
I like Peanuts cartoons. I remember one where Linus and Charlie Brown are chatting with one another. Linus says, "I don’t like to face problems head on. I think the best way to solve problems is to avoid them. In fact, this is a distinct philosophy of mine. No problem is so big or so complicated that it can’t be run away from!"
A lot of people probably feel that way. If they don’t like their job, they want to quit. If their marriage is difficult, they want a divorce. If their parents are too strict, they want to sneak out of the house. Drugs and alcohol and gambling and even working or shopping --- can all be ways of running away.
We usually run away because we don’t think there IS any solution.
There’s an interesting new phenomenon in the church world today. Churches are starting to hire Church Consultants --- the same way companies have hired consultants for years. Consultants are trained as problem solvers. They provide fresh eyes and new perspectives when businesses or churches face stagnation or decline. The good news is that those who listen to the advice of the Consultant can often turn things around. The bad news is that not everyone who hires a Consultant takes their advice.
Years ago the Ridgecrest Christian Church in Albuquerque hired a church growth expert from California. I remember his presentation to the church board while I was a Youth Minister there. He gave many suggestions, but his biggest recommendation was that the church was located in a part of town that had no growth potential left. He urged them to sell their property and move to a part of town where growth was happening.
Well, they owned their property free and clear. They’d been there a good while. The bottom line is, they weren’t interested in any solution that involved major change of any kind. Since they didn’t like the advice they were given, they began to question the church growth expert’s qualifications. (Never mind the fact that he had helped other churches.)
In the end, they chose to do nothing the consultant had suggested. Sure enough, today that church is in decline --- barely able to keep the doors open. That was precisely what the Consultant warned would happen if they were unwilling to change.
Like a knowledgeable Consultant, God always knows the changes we need to make. He knows exactly what will make things better … and He knows exactly what will make things worse. In Hagar’s case, the angel of the LORD told her, "Go back to your mistress and submit to her." Genesis 16:9
Hagar did part of what God told her to do. She DID return to Sarah. But Hagar did not do ALL God told her to do. If she had truly submitted to Sarah, things would have gone a lot better for her. As it was, hatred grew between Hagar and Sarah. Eventually, Hagar and Ishmael had to leave the protection of Abraham’s home. They ended up back in the wilderness … in the same desperate situation Hagar was in before. (We’re still suffering the ramifications of all this in the Middle East today!)
CONCLUSION:
The main thing I want you to hear today is this: no problem is too big for our God. You will never hear God say, “I can’t see any solution to this big mess. Why don’t you just give up!” God knows exactly what you need to do to turn your problem around.
I’ve known people whose lives were completely transformed after they “Consulted” with God and followed His advice. (Example of Sam Marshall… or others… )
On the other hand, I’ve met people who started out doing what God said. But then --- after things got better --- they decided they didn’t need God any more. And --- like Hagar --- they ended up right back where they started.
When you face difficulties in your life, are you aware that somewhere above you is the watchful eye of “El Roi,” the God who sees? Will you allow God to be your Consultant? Will you obey Him?
No matter how ugly or complicated or hopeless your situation seems, remember that God sees YOU. He will show you what to do --- step by step --- if only you will listen and obey.
Invitation song: Step by Step
