Recently I was meditating on God's word Genesis 21:1-20, I realized was not just a mere story about Abraham and Sarah or Hagar and Ishmael, or any fairy tale ever written, but indeed! the might word with the hidden secret of God's wisdom, and as for me, as I was given the understanding, that verses actually revealed Hagar and Ishmael as main characters or actors in that scene of the Holy Bible to teach me on something special and the wisdom of God, so receive my dear leader also it might be a sharpening sword to you as well.
Have you ever wondered in life, what makes people hate people suddenly those they happened to love them so much before, what makes the importance of someone varnish overnight in front of those who admired and depended on him/her so bad in the sense of making the person their preference or hope in terms of assistance in any plan they have or decision they are making? From my understanding, the answer is simple whenever you come to your realization of your own purpose on the earth, discerning the destiny you should be heading to, or mostly whenever they got what they were missing or wanted that actually resulted in you be between them to cover the gap, then, it is at that moment when you became not important to them any longer, not as important as you were before, and suddenly you turn to be a stumbling block to them. Ok, this is a story of another day.
All in all whenever challenging journey you passed through or encounter in life, that is the world side and its people and not God's, for God's turn is always excellent and rewarding, to the children He is pleased with and loves them. Back to the verses of today's devotional, let's together read the passage, I am stumbled when the Bible says; "Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him by the hand, for I will make a great nation of him." Most of the time you hear "Arise" in the Holy Bible it connects with Good news ahead of you right there. It has to do with enlarging your territory for your season that comes instantly as hearing that word. Like Isaiah 60:1-2 says "Arise, shine, your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. See darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you". You might be forsaken now or abandoned by your own, here comes the hope, Arise, for you will indeed be a great nation with abundant blessing, nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn, the prophet says in Isaiah 60:3. This is what also Paul wrote to Romans 8:19; "The creation waits in eager expectation for the revelation of the sons of God", so, ARISE means a world, means everything to the believer of Christ; when hearing that, do not be hardhearted for it is not a season set, but SEASON CAME. The package though comes with responsibilities but to whoever is his/her time blessed is he or she for it's worth living substituting it with everything else. Believe Christ today and be a partaker of that Word.
Remember the verses, Hagar and Ishmael were sent away after Sarah got what she was missing for so long, meaning what previous was her benefit turned to be a competitor or challenger. Now what amazed me most is when the Bible says in verses 15-17; "when the water in the skin was gone, she left the boy under one of the bushes. Then she went off and sat down nearby, about a bowshot away, for she said, “I cannot bear to watch the boy die!” And as she sat nearby, she lifted up her voice and wept. Then God heard the voice of the boy, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven, “What is wrong, Hagar? Do not be afraid, for God has heard the voice of the boy where he lies''. What now made me amazed, is what I found that it was Hagar who lifted up her voice to the Lord and wept hard, but the result is God heard the voice of the boy and sent His Angel that told Hagar and not a boy, that God heard the voice of the boy and not Hagar who lifted her voice and wept. The big lesson here is that children of God can carry the cries of many it is so, that you will find he is the founder of this organization here, she is the founder of that ministry there, it is all about burdens in your heart, what burdens you in your heart for others determine your eternity journey and God's reward in your life and this is only when your cries meet the cries of others, the victims, then paap! God answers you on behalf of the victim solely for the victim, i.e. you receive it as a messenger to deliver to the intended victim whom God favored in that time. As sons of God, you ought to be ready all the time, make yourself clean, your cloth be clean, your lamp is on, as a vessel of God, Gpc, God needs you somewhere now to meet the desire of His beloved, the question is; are you ready?
As Hagar did. Until when you have that compassion in your heart about others who are oppressed, captives, prisoners needing freedom, brokenhearted needing healing, you are not yet as good as the vessel God wanted for His services. Carrying the weight of others' troubles make your way to His way, I mean how can somebody help without internal touch within him/her, the moving of your heart towards the victim in a situation determines how God can use you to heal that situation on the victim.
This is my prayer, pray with me, my blessed leader; I pray in you, ooh! Lord let others' cries be presented to you by my cries, my weeping toward them i.e. that earnest feeling of wanting to help, that sincere and intense conviction in me about others be intensified. Say to your heart today with me let my compassion on others rise for God's glory, let me be indeed the help to the victim in need of God's touch.
Amen! you are blessed.
