Stories of Strength Through Pain in the BibleSample

Day 2 | Hagar

Hagar had a rough life. She was likely born in Egypt, where Abram and Sarai purchased her as a slave, taking her out of her own homeland, back to Canaan. If that weren’t bad enough, her masters treated her harshly and forced her to bear a child. Then when she was pregnant, Sarai beat her out of anger and jealousy.

Hagar did what any of us would do - she ran.

She ended up in the desert. She stopped by a spring of water, and that is where she met God.

Few of us have been treated as poorly as Hagar was treated, but we’ve all felt lost, afraid, alone, and confused. In this moment, Hagar learned something about God. This is still true about God today: “He is the God who sees me.” And you.

We all want to be seen, known, and loved. Talking to a slave girl in the desert, God shows us that he sees. He knows what we’re going through. He hasn’t left us. He loves us. But if talking to a slave girl in the desert wasn’t enough to show us that God loves us, he sent his son Jesus to die on a cross for our sake, so that we can be forgiven and spend eternity with God. He sees us, he knows who we are and what we need, and he loves us with an unfailing love.

Are you facing hardships that make you feel afraid and alone? Take a moment today to look around you. Ask God to show you one thing that reminds you that he sees you. Maybe it’s a bird that lands on your windowsill or that special song that comes on the radio. God sees you, and he’ll show you something special, just for you, his precious child.