“I will be glad and rejoice in your love,
for you saw my affliction and knew
the anguish of my soul.” – Psalm 31:7, NIV
Thanksgiving Devotional Day 28
Have you ever felt rejected and alone, as no one could see you? That’s how Hagar must have felt in the desert. She was a slave girl that’d been selected to be a surrogate mother.
When her child was born, he’d be taken from her arms and given to her owner’s family, to be raised as one of them. But she’d run away from her mistress because of the increasingly hostile behavior she was experiencing.
Now, Hagar was alone in a place she didn’t recognize. She had no money and no skills. It wasn’t like a single mom in her time had many—if any—options. That’s when God intervenes.
He promises that Hagar will become the mother of a nation and tells her to name the child Ishmael. The meaning of this ancient name is “God hears.”
After this encounter, Hagar calls God, the One who sees her. Like Hagar, you may feel abandoned in the desert you’re walking through. Your desert may look different—it may be a divorce, a wayward child, the loss of your job, or a chronic illness.
But just like God saw Hagar, He sees you. Just like He heard Hagar, He hears you. You’ve not been forsaken, precious friend.
God, when I’m walking through the deserts of my life, send me a fresh reminder of Your love and Your care. Help me to hold tight to the knowledge that You see me right now, right where I am.
