Our experience on the road to Rimrock brings to mind one of my favorite Bible passages, the story of Hagar in the wilderness. For one thing I like Bible stories where the main character screws up and God's plan works out anyway. Wait a minute, that's most of the Bible. In this particular story in Genesis 16, Hagar is the one at fault. She slept with her boss's husband, although that was Sarah's idea. Why Abraham blindly followed that accepted cultural practice is what I call one of the "okey, dokeys" of the Bible. There are several places in Genesis where a bad idea is presented and, instead of praying, one of our spiritual forefathers says, "okey, dokey". Hagar's ideas, however, were her own. She mocked her boss, quit her job without notice, and ran away from home. So there she is, in the middle of nowhere, alone except for the baby in her belly, and God shows up. Or, more accurately, an angel shows up. He instructs her to return home and prophesies about her unborn child.
Hagar, however, understood that she was not just touched by an angel. She named the place Beer LaHai Roi, well of the living God who sees me. That encounter must have changed her life. The God who made such great promises to Abraham & Sarah saw her. Made promises to her. I used to envy Hagar, despite her servant status, until our encounter on the highway. Our messenger was quite human, and he made no prophecies about our son, but we clearly understood that God saw us. He answered our prayers as they were still on our lips. God always sees us, but there are times like Hagar's when we see that God sees us. May that well of blessing never run dry.
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