What Would He Ask Me? What Would My Answers Be?

Scripture: Genesis 16:8 "And [God] said, 'Hagar, Sarai's maid, where have you come from and where are you going?' She said, 'I am fleeing from the presence of my mistress Sarai.'"

Observation: Sarai had just created a huge relationship crisis by trying to force God's promises to happen through Hagar. Hagar is mistreated after she got cocky about conceiving by Abram. God's immediate question strikes every human in the heart - "What's your past?" and "What do you think your future is?"

Oh, the pages that could be written about those two questions!

Hagar missed God's point, but answers instead with the thing that is distressing her. Afterward she knows God as one who sees her; very reminiscent of Job 42:5-6.

Application: Where have I come from?! Do I consider the Egypt that I live and suffered in? "Oh, the good ol' days," I say and fail to see the captivity to sin that He has brought me out of. Or have I treaded heavily on the blessings of the past and ignored God's favor? I take the presence of the Holy Spirit and the abundance of spiritual benefits through Jesus for granted and regard it as common possessions?

Nothing but questions here! Do I know where I'm going? Do I even have a plan? If so, am I doing anything with it or just day dreaming? Is it God's plan, or have I even consulted Him?

I can expect God to crash my self-pity parties. I can also expect God to come with perspective and caring and direction and exhortation and promises of a good future - promises that will not fail.

Prayer: Father, you are full of abundant mercy, longsuffering, gracious, abounding in goodness and truth. Pour over me a fresh revelation of life! I'm bogged down in the sorrows and I can't see your lighthouse nor your life-saving boat for all the rising and falling waves! As your creation I rest fully and immediately in your hands. I love you. Amen.