God Sees Your Misery

Then the angel of the Lord told her, “Go back to your mistress and submit to her.” The angel added, “I will increase your descendants so much that they will be too numerous to count.” 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, for the Lord has heard of your misery.

Genesis 16:9-11 NIV

First off, I want to point out that Abram and Sarai learned their lesson after this because we don't see them doing it again. One Ishmael was more than enough. Which leads me to the truth I want us to learn and remember today.

Ishmael means God hears. In the middle of this foundational  and important (true) story about Abraham, the father of faith, we are given a nugget concerning God's Sovereignty and grace. So let's take a moment and look at Hagar, the third person in this little triangle. She was Sarai's slave. She didn't have any rights, any power, any say. The minute she thought she did, Sarai let her know she didn't. She ended up in the middle of the desert. She was told by God to go back and submit to Sarai and that she would have a son. He'd be a wild donkey of a man, against everyone and everyone against him. His name, Ishmael, would remind her that God hears and sees her plight. 

Hagar is an interesting demonstration of the Sovereignty of God and the grace of God. Ishmael was the result of Abram and Sarai's lack of faith, which is sin. Hagar, was kind of caught up in it all, not by choice really. Have you ever felt like Hagar? You didn't choose for some things to happen and yet there you are in the middle of it all. God hears your cry and he sees your plight. He will provide for you. He is Sovereign and he is gracious.