Tag Archives: Hagar

Prayer

Living in the Spirit
June 18, 2014 

Scripture Reading: Psalm 86:1-10, 16, 17 

There is none like you among the gods, O Lord, nor are there any works like yours.
All the nations you have made shall come and bow down before you, O Lord,
   and shall glorify your name.
For you are great and do wondrous things; you alone are God.
Turn to me and be gracious to me; give your strength to your servant;
   save the child of your serving-maid.
Show me a sign of your favor, so that those who hate me may see it and be put to shame,
   because you, Lord, have helped me and comforted me. – Psalm 86:8-10, 16, 17 

The people who compiled the lectionary surely envisioned Hagar when they read this Psalm, which is most likely why it follows her story.  Genesis 21:15-17 (see June 17 devotion) records Hagar’s only prayer as a request not to have to watch her child die. She had given up. In fact, it does not record any words at all from Ismael, but it does say that God heard Ismael’s voice.  I am reminded of Romans 8:26—Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. It is important to pray and to pray earnestly even though we may be way off course in what we ask. God hears our prayers and translate then in God’s infinite wisdom and understanding.

While this Psalm can be seen through the eyes of Hagar, it also can be seen through the eyes of Jesus. Mary described herself as the servant of the Lord (Luke 1:38) when she accepted the call to be the mother of the Messiah. She stood at the foot of his cross and watched him die. I think Jesus would have taken great heart in verse 9: All the nations you have made shall come and bow down before you, O Lord, and shall glorify your name. Jesus was dedicated to bringing us all together as the family of God.

Prayer: Thank you for the gift of Jesus, for his teachings and his example, for his understanding and love and for his great sacrifice. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Forgiveness

Living in the Spirit
June 17, 2014

 Scripture Reading: Genesis 21:8-21 

When the water in the skin was gone, she cast the child under one of the bushes. Then she went and sat down opposite him a good way off, about the distance of a bowshot; for she said, ‘Do not let me look on the death of the child.’ And as she sat opposite him, she lifted up her voice and wept. And God heard the voice of the boy; and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven, and said to her, ‘What troubles you, Hagar? Do not be afraid; for God has heard the voice of the boy where he is.
 – Genesis 21:15-17

 Several years ago, I volunteered to answer a crisis intervention phone for parents. A young woman with three children called me late one evening sobbing in tears. She had gotten her first pay check that day and had come home with her children to celebrate the first check. It was barely enough money to pay her rent but it was a start. While the little family watched TV that evening an ad come on about a white water theme park, and all the children got excited together crying out, “Oh, Momma, now that we have money we can go to that park. Please, Momma, Please.” She told then not this time and eventually got them into bed. She didn’t have a phone but she had the hotline number and called from the pay phone across the street where she could still see the house.

The mother had left a dangerous domestic violence situation in a small town to start a new life with her children in the city. She received welfare, food stamps, and child care while she completed some training and finally got a job. She was doing the very best she could and it just did not seem good enough still. I am sorry to say this story has thousands of autobiographers.

Hagar had been haughty toward Sarah when Hagar became pregnant and Sarah could not. In their tit for tat world Sarah was reaping her revenge. The losers were Ismael and Isaac who apparently enjoyed each other’s company and the rest of us who have suffered the ramifications of this family problem ever since. The sad thing is that no two people in this situation knew the plight of the other better than Hagar and Sarah themselves.  Sometimes the hardest forgiveness comes when we are looking in a mirror or seeing ourselves in another.

Sarah’s and Hagar’s descendants and all the rest of us can still learn empathy, if we will only open their hearts and minds to the Creator who can make all things new.

Prayer: Creator God, heal our wounds, open our hearts and minds, and let our lives reflect your spirit of forgiveness. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.