So she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, “You are a God of seeing,” for she said, “Truly here I have seen Him who looks after me.” –Genesis 16:13
Hagar’s journey in Genesis 16 took her from being a surrogate mother in a contentious relationship with her donor’s wife to being an outcast alone in a wilderness anticipating her death. In that moment of despair, she encountered God. In the middle of her struggle she has a personal encounter with God who assured her of His presence
Hagar’s struggle taught her that God was near and was actively watching over her. Despite the human drama that had led her to this point in the wilderness, God was still there as her protector. Hagar’s struggle showed her that, despite the challenges she had run from, a future existed for her and her soon-to-be-born son. God revealed Himself anew in this struggle, and Hagar returned for a season to her home. She acted in obedience to God’s directive.
Most of us have had similar moments in which we have wrestled with a dilemma and have arrived at a decision that caused us to run away from the madness. We might have felt helpless, alone, and trapped by the circumstances in which we found ourselves. Whether we contributed to the problem or not, whether someone exercised power over us or not, the result is the same: We end up in a wilderness, sitting by a pool hoping for just a moment of relief from the turmoil that is our life, inside and out. And then God shows Himself with all His glory and power. In that moment, we, like Hagar, come to know who God is, how much He is involved in the details of our lives, and what His Word requires us to do. We are presented with two challenging questions: Do we recognize God’s hand at work in our life? And are we willing to obey Him?
Do we yield our way to His will, or do we continue to fight our own fight, follow our own plan, or wrestle with a dilemma that is too big for us to handle alone? Struggle takes us into close contact with God. It causes us to speak with God on a new level. It causes us to worship as Hagar did. This obedient response to struggle can be invigorating. It reminds us that God is with us and that He has a plan and a purpose for our experiences. This realization can help us to more fully embrace the idea that all things work toward good, even though the struggle itself may be troubling.
Let your struggles invigorate you as you face the future!
--An excerpt from "God, I'm Struggling."