The God Who Sees and Hears
Genesis 16 tells of Hagar, Sarai,
and Abram. The decisions they made produced a tense situation: Hagar was with
child by Abram, while Sarai was, at this time, unable to bear children. Hagar
feels superior to Sarai because she can bear children, and in return Sarai uses
her authority to humiliate and oppress Hagar. Hagar runs from her, and comes to
a spring of water in the wilderness where she meets the angel of the Lord.
He
directs her to return to Sarai and remain in submission to her, and promises
Hagar many descendants as repayment for her difficult life under Sarai’s
authority (Gen. 16:11). Her son’s name would be Ishmael, translated, “God
hears”. Hagar responds, “You are a God who sees” (Gen. 16:13).
We
serve the God who sees. In Hagar’s case, God saw the harsh treatment she had
received which caused her to run from Sarai (Gen. 16:6). He understood the
difficult situation she had to endure, and rewarded her for returning in
submission to her mistress (Gen. 16:9). Even though Hagar felt superior, she was
still the maid and was to submit herself to her mistress’ authority. He saw the
truth of every piece of that very complicated situation, and addressed it
righteously.
We
serve the God who hears. God listened as Hagar expressed her reasons for
leaving (Gen. 16:8). Surely He had heard when Sarai had advised Abram to go to
Hagar (Gen. 16:2), and had also heard Hagar’s cries from Sarai’s harsh
treatment.
It
often seems like certain people can hide their actions and disguise their
character so they seem to be what they are not. We wonder if justice will be
served, if the righteous will be rewarded and if the evildoers will be
punished. May it be extremely clear: we serve the God who sees and hears
everything. Nothing escapes His notice, not even the smallest detail that has
gone unnoted by human eyes and ears.
In
the end, the God who sees and hears will bring relief to His servants (2 Thess.
1:7), while those who rebel against Him will have brought terror on themselves
(2 Thess. 1:9). How do you feel when you realize that God sees and hears
everything about you? Perhaps your conscience can tell you something about
where you stand, and if correction is needed. Praise the God who sees and
hears, and give Him all the glory in your life. Pray to Him, sing to Him,
confess to Him, listen to Him, return to obey Him, and you will be blessed by
Him.
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