Lisa Anderson | Director of Young Adults

Happy Thanksgiving! Last night I was reading the story of Hagar in Genesis 16 and 21. Hagar was mistreated by her mistress, Sarai, and decided to flee from her. Out in the wilderness, an angel of the Lord appears and speaks to Hagar. We usually focus on the portion of the story where the angel tells Hagar she will have a son whose descendents will be “too numerous to count.” Hagar is so moved that she gives a name to God: “El Roi” ??? “The God who sees.”

What we don’t often talk about is the part where the angel tells Hagar to do something sketchy, namely, “Go back to your mistress and submit to her.” Seriously? Go back? Not “I’m going to get you away from Sarai, that terrible woman, and make you a millionaire so you can support yourself and your son comfortably. Plus, I’m going to stick it to Sarai and make sure she’s knocked down a peg and everyone knows how terrible she is.”

Hagar goes back ??? only to be kicked out some years later by, yeah, Sarai (now Sarah). After almost dying in the desert, God makes good (yet again) on his promise to Hagar, providing her and her son with care and protection. Her son, Ishmael, goes on to have 12 sons and many descendents after them. “God was with him,” the Bible says.

I say this to remind us that God makes good on His promises, but in His timing and His way. He doesn’t look over our plans and put His stamp of approval on them. Sometimes He tells us to “go back.” Sometimes we get kicked out of a situation we think is a good thing. Sometimes the only good thing we can say is, “God, you see me.” Let’s be thankful today for El Roi, the God who sees. And I’ll add: The God who sees but doesn’t always let us see everything right away. That’s OK, and we can be thankful ??? even in the desert of our circumstances. God’s up to something???and it’s good.

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