Hagar and Ishmael were simply on the wrong side of the lineage. Hagar did not plan to be her mistress’s baby factory–but when she was pregnant, it became clear she allowed the power to get between her and Sarai. So, She ran away. There she was, out in the desert, with no friends or family. She had no means of support and yet she had a life to live and a child within her. The big question she asks is, “Who cares for me?” The great news was that God cared for Hagar and Ishmael.
God’s messenger met Hagar where she was, and told her two very critical pieces of information–1) don’t worry–God has got this–your son’s lineage will also be numerous.
2.) Your Son’s lineage will be at odds with the rest of the world. The news gave Hagar a new hope and she never doubted God’s car for her. She named the place they met after God–She called it The God who sees me. She then returned and submitted and Ishmael was born in Abrams 86th year.
It sometimes feels as if we are on our own. We cannot seem to make progress and no one really cares what happens to us. In those times, we are like Hagar. We just want to get away and be left alone. But, as with Hagar, God meets us where we are and makes it clear that he knows us, loves us and has a plan for us.
If we, like Hagar, will recognize that and simply follow God and his plan–then he is free to prepare us for what lies ahead. The critical step is that we trust him and follow him. There are no short cuts–this is a journey that lasts a lifetime. We have to play the long game and trust God even when it seems there is no hope or possibility of a good life. When we do, we find that is when God does his best work.
God Bless You
9 Then the angel of the Lord told her, “Go back to your mistress and submit to her.” 10 The angel added, “I will increase your descendants so much that they will be too numerous to count.”
11 The angel of the Lord also said to her:
“You are now pregnant
and you will give birth to a son.
You shall name him Ishmael,[a]
for the Lord has heard of your misery.
12 He will be a wild donkey of a man;
his hand will be against everyone
and everyone’s hand against him,
and he will live in hostility
toward[b] all his brothers.”
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[c] the One who sees me.” 14 That is why the well was called Beer Lahai Roi[d]; 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.
Walking With God 