Day 3: Hagar

Hagar is believed to mean immigrant or fugitive. She was a foreigner, a slave and Sarah's bitter rival. But it was not so in the beginning. It is believed that when Abraham and Sarah left Egypt with their possessions, Hagah was one of the slaves they took with them. After years of waiting for the son of the promise, Sarah gave Hagah to Abraham with the hope that Hagah would bring about the promised son. But that wasn't the plan of God. Of the three parties involved in this scheming, Hagah was probably the innocent one. How could she say no to her master, Sarah. She was a slave in a foreign land with nowhere to run to. But the moment she discovered she was pregnant she began lording it over her mistress. Sidenote: It's interesting how Sarah quickly blames Abraham for Hagah's disrespect - something that we often do. We put ourselves in situations and when things don't work out the way we want them to we blame everyone but ourselves.

When Hagah ran away because Sarah was treating her harshly, she had an encounter with an angel who told her to go back and submit to Sarah's authority. The command was accompanied by a promise, "I will give you more descendants than you can count." What a lesson! There is a blessing in submitting under authority. Paul encourages us in Titus 3:1 to be subject to rulers and authority set over us. At times we are in positions where we have to put up with behaviors that we don't deserve but it's in those moments of disadvantage that our humility, patience and submissiveness is tested. Obedience is a strong virtue, capable of making us master of our emotions by giving us more strength to conquer our pride as we submit to those above us out of respect for their God-given authority and those below us out of love. Hagah is sent away years later when Sarah sees Ishmael mocking Isaac. She has an encounter with an angel again in the wilderness when their water runs out. God opened Hagar’s eyes, and she saw a well full of water. She quickly filled her water container and gave the boy a drink. Looking at her situation through her own eyes she saw no way out, but when God interved and opened her eyes her situation suddenly changed. She is reminded of the promised she recieved when she ran away the first time. How many of us find ourselves in situations as Hagah's. You were entangled into a mess or two. And now you can't see a way out. With God there is nothing impossible. It doesn't matter what you may be going through. Anna writes, "A modern-day Hagar is no further from God’s promises than was Hagar herself as she poured out her sorrow in the desert. God sees her heartache, just as he saw Hagar’s. Though you may not be as desperate as Hagar or her modern counterpart, you may have experienced times in your life that made you fear for the future. Whether you are living in a wilderness of poverty or loneliness or sorrow, God’s promises, love, and protection are just as available to you now as they were to Hagar."