'Bad' Moms of the Bible: How God Works Through Our Worst MomentsSample

Hagar: In the Wilderness of Doubt

By Jennifer Huff

She sat alone in the back pew, clutching her Bible as tears streamed down her face. He was a respected church leader, a man devoted to God. When he vowed to love and cherish her, she believed him. But now, abandoned and shunned by the congregation, she felt invisible and discarded.

Perhaps you know this woman. Perhaps you are this woman. If so, you’re not alone. Hagar, a mother in the Bible, faced similar pain.

Hagar was an Egyptian servant, a marginalized woman with no rights, thrust into a situation she did not choose. No longer just a servant, she now carried Abraham’s child—the very son Sarah had yearned for. Tensions escalated, and Sarah’s harsh treatment drove Hagar into the wilderness—pregnant, alone, and desperate.

Sitting by a spring, exhausted and afraid, she encountered a voice she never expected. “Hagar, Sarah’s servant, where have you come from, and where are you going?”

It was the angel of the Lord, and with this simple question, He acknowledged both her past pain and her uncertain future. At that moment, Hagar—the outcast, the unseen—realized she was known and valued. God didn’t ignore Hagar’s suffering. He pursued her, called her by name, and gave her a promise: She was not forgotten.

In ancient times, naming someone signified authority and intimacy. Remarkably, God chose Hagar—a marginalized, foreign woman—not a patriarch or prophet—to be the first person to name Him. She called Him El Roi, “The God Who Sees Me” (Genesis 16:13).

Years later, Hagar found herself in the wilderness again. Sent away with her son Ishmael, she wandered in the desert until their water ran out. Overcome with despair, she placed Ishmael under a bush and distanced herself, unable to watch her son suffer and die. Though he was a teenager, not a baby, Hagar was a mother who felt powerless to save her child.

She doubted God’s promise. She believed their story was over.

But God had not forgotten her. He called out, opened her eyes to a well of water, and reassured her that Ishmael’s future was secure (Genesis 21:17-18).

God’s faithfulness to Hagar wasn’t because of her status or actions but because He is a God who sees—especially in moments of doubt. And He sees you. God does not abandon the rejected, discarded, or mistreated person, no matter how others have treated you. He sees, He cares, and He provides. Even when doubt and despair cloud your vision, El Roi is watching over you, calling you by name, and making a way forward—even when you can’t see it yet.

Let’s Reflect:

1. Have you ever felt unseen or abandoned? How does knowing God as El Roi—The God Who Sees Me—impact you?
2. Why do you think God chose Hagar, an outcast, to be the first to name Him?
3. In your current struggles, where might God be providing unseen provisions or hope?