In Gen. 16:7, we find that the ‘Angel of the LORD’ finds Hagar. Although God knew where Hagar was all the time, Amen? He wasn’t really looking for her, He knew where she was. The word ‘Found – mat-sa, means to appear, exist, come forth, meet, or be present.’ He just made His presence noticeable, that’s all. He is omnipresent! He was there when she was born, purchased, conceived and ran. He found her by the fountain of water, in the wilderness, running for home and running from her problems. Hmmmm? Question, are you running from your problems and in a real sense running from God? Or are you just wandering in the wilderness today? Did He really find her or did Hagar finally find God? The God of Abraham, her master? Obvious my dear Watson, isn’t it?

Where was Hagar when the ‘Angel of the LORD’ revealed His presence? “By a fountain of water in the wilderness?” Or, “By the fountain in the way to Shur?” v.7  The word ‘Shur‘ means wall and was on the very edge of Canaan before entering Egypt. In other words she was on the very edge of no return! One More Step! She was that close!  Moses entered Shur after crossing the Red Sea in Exodus 15:22. Saul and David fought the ‘Ge-Shur-ites’ and Amalakites there. The Angel of The LORD found Hagar by the living water, a gurgling, babbling, bubbling spring. This word fountain (ayin) is used as a symbol of the LORD’s power to refresh. A flow of water from an opening in the hillside, in the desert. Ahhhh!

God my friend searches for you, but not until we are lost! He feeds your starving soul, but not until you are hungry! He quenches your ardent thirst, but not until you are parched! God will make His presence known to you only when you realize and recognize your desperate, destitute condition and need! When you stick up you hand and call out, “Help Me!” The ‘Angel of the LORD’ found Hagar, in the wilderness, right next to the living water, running from God’s perfect will. What a picture of believers today!  Question, did He find you today? In the wilderness or in your closet? In the desert or in your garden? By the coffee machine or by your fountain of living water? Did you hear His voice this morning before the cock crowed or did the alarm clock wake you?

Don’t you just love God’s probing questions when you are in flight? v.8 “Hey Hagar, where are you coming from, better yet where are you going?’ You are on the edge, My child and about to step over the line and fall off the cliff!” Listen, God is not only omnipresent, He is also omniscient. He knows everything about everyone. Then why did He ask? Ahhh? Confession, Achan is good for the soul, gives glory to God, Joshua 7:19 and is part of the restoration process. Remember, we confess our sins to God, and our faults to the Brethren. Hey, Hagar where are you going? “To be honest, I am running away from my problems! I’m being beaten, afflicted, dealt with hardly. You understand God you are omniscient. You would not want that right?” WRONG! I want you to return and submit (anah), Hagar. Same word for affliction under Sarah’s hands. Oi Gevault!  Sometimes life, the Christian life, is just hard for no apparent reason at all. This is the same word you find in Isa. 53:4 with our LORD on the cross. “Surely He has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows, yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God and afflicted (anah).” Listen, compared to Christ, on that cross, your problem is Diddly! Return and Submit, this is insane! No it is God’s perfect will in this case. He found her v.7; He restored her v.8; He returned her v.9; WHY?

So, He could bless her! v.10, Obedience brings blessing, disobedience brings confusion, chaos, and curses. (Lev. 26 and Deut. 27). v.10, “I will multiply (rabah) your seed exceedingly (rabah) it shall not be numbered for multitude (rab).”  Sounds a lot like Eph. 3:20, “Now unto Him Who is able to do exceedingly (rabah), abundantly (rabah) above (rab) all that we ask or think…” He gave her a promise v.10, His pledge, “I will multiply thy seed.” The seed or semen comes from the male. God not only knows where we are and why we are there but he knows who we are and what we can and will become. He had to do this because of His promise to Abraham in Gen. 15:5 to make Abraham’s seed like the stars of heaven. Not Sarah’s, not Hagar’s, Abraham’s. Can you number the Arabs today, plus the Jews? Can you? Try it! Over one billion and counting as fast as you can, 24 hours a day, it would take you 18 years to count to one billion. Take time out to sleep, eat and for personal hygiene and now its up to 30 years and they are at 1.25 billion. Question, does God keep His word? All The Time!

He found her in the wilderness! He restored her to fellowship! He returned her to His purpose and will! He blessed her with Divine blessings! WOW! God said it! That settles it! I believe it! Now watch this, ‘Principle For Prayer’ in v.11, ‘The Angel of The LORD’ speaks for the third time, “Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael, because the LORD has heard thy affliction.” You shall call his name ‘Ishmael’ or ‘Ye-Shama-El’ which means ‘God Shall Hear.’ Why? “Because the LORD has heard (shama) thy affliction.” Shama! Means to hear, to listen, and to obey. Deut. 6:4 is referred to, for Jewish People, as ‘The Shema’ and prayed daily. Shema means, to hearken, to hear and then to do something about it. Did the LORD hear Hagar’s cries of affliction? He says He did! Does He hear yours? Psalm 65:2 says He does! Listen, God not only hears, but He cares, I Peter 5:7, “Casting all your cares upon Him, for He cares for you.” So, why pray? Because God hears and because God cares! And his name shall be called ‘Ishmael – God shall hear.’ I like that! Because ‘El-Shama means God-Heard.’   “Between The Lines”

“Father, no matter how hard, how bad, how difficult, how terrible, things may seem, may we stand at the foot of the cross and look up and remember all that your Son went through for us and never forget that You never forget. Compared to His anah our anah is nothing! Please, forgive us for even bringing it to mind and burdening You with such trivia. We love You, thank You for finding us by the well of Shur, before we took that final step. In ha Shem Yeshua, we pray. Amen!”

“Portraits of Prayer in Genesis”  Hagar – Part # 2