17 God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid; God has heard the boy crying as he lies there. 18 Lift the boy up and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation.”
19 Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. So she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink.
20 God was with the boy as he grew up. He lived in the desert and became an archer. 21 While he was living in the Desert of Paran, his mother got a wife for him from Egypt.
In this scripture we see that God's pity is greater than ours. Ishmael's moans and his cries pierce the heart of God. Vs.17 tells us "God heard the boy crying." The omniscient God hears every sound in the world. God, who revealed Himself to Hagar telling her Ishmael is alive, and promised, "I will make him into a great nation," God sees life flow through Ishmael for generations to come. God tells Hagar that He needs Ishmael as a link to future generations.
When God opened her eyes Hagar saw a well of water. Sadness and sorrow often have a blinding effect on us, cutting us off from reality. During times of gloom and despair the devil finds it easy to manipulate our feelings. This is why it is important that we praise God when misery and disaster falls upon us. Worshipping him will keep us in touch with reality. The well is there, the only thing we need is an eye-opener.
Isaiah 6:10 gives a clear picture of sin: It “Make the heart of this people callused; make their ears dull and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn and be healed.” Isaiah was to awaken the people of Israel to the reality of their sinful condition. Sorrow, dejection and despair can have the same effect on us because they are an offspring of sin.
When God leaves us destitute of his direction and takes away his grace from us, we must ask, not only that he would bestow upon us such things as will be useful to us. That he will also teach caution to enable us to use them; otherwise, it will be our lot to faint, with closed eyes, in the midst of fountains.
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