Psalm 9:12 God does not ignore the cries of those who suffer
Her name was Hagaar—a servant God used to reveal His nature toward all who are desperate and afraid. This Hagaar was cast away from her master’s household along with her only son. She named the boy Ishmael, which means, “the Lord hears.” Yet, now banished to the wilderness and totally out of water, she questioned whether God did hear. She laid her dying boy in the shade of a bush a distance away to avoid the agony of his feeble cries and final breaths.
At the point of utter desperation, her own salty tears moistened the cruel wasteland. As she began to cry out, she discovered what she had only hoped could be true: The Lord hears!
In that moment of utter dependency, God opened Hagaar’s eyes to see the one thing she needed most—water.
It’s the thing we all need to survive—water. Is it any wonder that Jesus called himself, “the Living Water”, the One we need to survive?
God opened Hagaar’s eyes to see—water—hidden only by fear and despair.
Oh, fear and despair—these emotions that eclipse Jesus, the Living Water, from our view. He is never far off or impervious to our needs. He draws near to those who cry, eager to reveal himself—to open our eyes that we might see Him.
If only…we would cry out to Him!
When Hagaar cried out to God, she discovered Him to be the God who truly hears. And on that day, she called Him by a new name, “El Roi—the God who sees—ME.”
When we cry out from our parched and weary souls, we discover El Roi–still listening through the ages, still seeing every one of us in every generation.
He yearns to open your eyes to help you see—Living water, flowing all around you, able to quench your deepest thirst.
He comes to you wherever you might be, to provide what you need most—Himself!
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