Grab on to God's promises

Hagar the single parent mom

"Now the Lord had said to Abram: Get out of your country, from your family and from your father's house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." Gen. 12:1-3

1. The Land Promise: "A land that I will show you."

2. The National Promise: "A great nation."

3. The Spiritual Promise: "All the families of the earth shall be blessed."

I have wondered myself many times when God’s promises will come true even for us as a family.  We came from 3^rd world country as missionaries believing this is God’s calling, and the vision that and words we received.  Some of it I know we have walked out but other parts are yet to be.    In a similar both Abraham and Sarah must have wondered how and when Gods promise will come true. They were also called out of their homeland to the land God would show them.  But they left with their own tribe; Hagar was amongst them as a stranger.  Sarah went past the time of life, here period (menstrual cycle) stopped – and the promise was for filled.  Sarah gave Hagar the slave girl has a surrogate wife to Abraham to have a child for Sarah with him.  Hagar became pregnant.  It was in this time that she and Sarah got in some disagreements.

Hagar means 'stranger'. We read that she is a slave girl from Egypt. Never really accepted as a salve and immigrant to the nomadic tribe of Abraham.
 

Sarah may have been a shortened version of Ummu-sarra, 'the great mother is queen'.  She is the Alpha female leader of the tribes women, and the beloved or favored wife of Abraham and also his half sister.  The same father but different mother.

Sarah, Abraham's wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her slave-girl, and gave her to her husband Abram as a wife. He went in to Hagar, and she conceived; and when she saw that she had conceived, she looked with contempt on her mistress.'  Genesis 16:1-6.

The women had a fell out and now Sarah blamed Abraham and said it wall all his fault and he had to fix it.  The truth was that Sarah was responsible and she was also responsible to lead the women of the tribe.  Then Sarah took it upon herself to humble Hagar.  Hagar decided to run away from the tribe, keep in mind she is pregnant and she is running into a fearsome country that is dessert land with not much.  It was a heroic deed of Hagar but she stopped at Shur exhausted from her long journey and now she was close to Egypt.

'The angel of the LORD found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, the spring on the way to Shur. And he said 'Hagar, slave-girl of Sarah, where have you come from and where are you going?' She said 'I am running away from my mistress Sarah'.'
Genesis 16:7-16.

The angel told Hagar to return to the tribe and have her child amongst the Hebrews because he would have a great future and be a child of importance.  He later became the foundation of the Arab nations.  For the next fourteen years Hagar were able to tolerate Sarah, because she was higher up in status now since her son (Ishmael) was the sole inheritor of  Abraham fortune.   During this time Sarah and Abram must have totally given up on gods promise and dream for children of their own.  But then one day Sarah was  pregnant with Isaac. 

The child grew and was weaned; and Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned. But Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had born to Abraham, playing with her son Isaac. So she said to Abraham 'Cast out this slave woman with her son; for the son of this slave woman shall not inherit along with my son Isaac'.
Read Genesis 21:8-14.

There was a constant bitter struggle now between Sarah and Hagar.  Sarah hated Hagar and wanted her gone or dead.  She confronted Abraham and said that he had to send Hagar and Ismail away, she did not want Ishmael to inherit along Isaac.  Certainly now it was Hagar’s turn to doubt God’s promise.  Abraham then sends Hagar and Ismail away with a piece of bread and a skin of water.  You might think for yourself like I did, how is this even reasonable and fair, Hagar conceived because of Sarah?

When the water in the skin was gone, she cast the child under one of the bushes. Then she went and sat a good way off for she said 'Do not let me look on the death of the child'.
Read Genesis 21:15-21.

Hagar obeyed God the first time and went back after she run away but now she was sent away by Abraham himself, certainly she must have questioned God’s promise and purpose.  Here she was alone in the desert with her son dying of thirst.  Hagar called upon God and he heard her cries. But we read further and see that God heard Hagar’s voice and the child’s dying voice.  Perhaps in these last moments of her life Hagar was about to Give on God’s promise and her dream, but God opens her eyes and she sees the well of fresh water.  Hagar gives the water to Ismail then stands up a new with courage and went to live in the wilder of Paran.  God kept His promise with Hagar the single mom; she becomes the great mother of the Arab nation.  Hagar becomes an example to all of us of women that was despised but obeyed God and hanged on to His promise and it came to pass. When you read the Koran it, says it was at Mecca that God saved Hagar and her son from death by thirst. Muslim ritual reflects this: every year for thirteen centuries Muslims performing the Hajj have retraced Hagar's steps as she desperately searched for water.

It is so easy to doubt god’s promises on life’s journey. We look to our surroundings and life events, listen to the wards of doctors and we accept the physical news rather than to grab hold in the Spiritual world of God s promises.  Today I can list all the many and big mistakes that I made in my life, perhaps you can identify it in your life – where ever you are right now is not important. – What is important for you to open your spiritual eyes and see the fresh water (Gods promise) and stand in faith to receive what he has for you and family?

Maybe you are not in social circles like Hagar.

Maybe you are rejected by your loved one like Hagar

Maybe your husband left you like Hagar

Maybe you obeyed God and now something worse happened like Hagar

Maybe you are in the desert without hope like Hagar

Maybe you are at the end of your journey like Hagar

Maybe this cancer thing as swallowed all your faith.  Have hope hang on to God.