Today's Readings: New Testament -
Luke 8:26-39 / Acts 18:1-17
Old Testament -
Psalms 29 / Genesis 16-18
Click on Text Links to Read Online
Focus Verses: Genesis 16:13-16
13 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." 14 That is why the well was called Beer Lahai Roi; it is still there, between Kadesh and Bered. 15 So Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram gave the name Ishmael to the son she had borne. 16 Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore him Ishmael.
Insight:
Hagar was brought front and center into the story of God's plan when Abram and Sarai struggled and stumbled with understanding God's promise to give them a son. They took matters into their own hands and tried to produce an heir through Sarai's maidservant. Not surprisingly, things went sour between Sarai and Hagar. Sarai wanted Hagar's child, and Hagar despised Sarai.
God, however, looked with compassion upon all concerned. He did not back away from his promise to Abram and Sarai, but neither did he disregard the needs and future of Hagar. Instead, God promised that her son, Ishmael, would also become a great nation--though not the son of the covenant he had made with Abraham.
God is compassionate toward his people even as they struggle to understand how to live by faith. Even when they fail, God's faithfulness and grace abound. Even their mistakes are redeemable by God. The name Ishmael means "God hears." The name Beer Lahai Roi means "the well of the One who sees me."
Response & Action:
I need to remember that God is full of grace and compassion. When I am faithless, he remains faithful. When I fail, he is able to redeem my failures for good. God gives direction and hope to all who look to him in faith. I will trust God because he hears me and sees me, just as he heard and saw Abram, Sarai, and Hagar.
O Lord, provide for my needs and protect me from discouragement. When I fall, please pick me up. Redeem me from my sins and mistakes as I stumble in the way of faith. Protect me from the failures and sins of others. Be my strength, my savior, and my guide. I pray through Christ Jesus, my Lord, who lives and reigns with you, and the Holy Spirit, One God now and forever. Amen.
Spiritual Formation Verses: 2 Chronicles 16:9a
9a For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.
Resources:
Genesis: The Story We Haven't Heard
by Paul Carlton Borgman
