My stomach did somersaults as we flew over the sand dunes on our ATV. We were in Dubai for a family vacation, and “dune bashing” (off-roading at thrilling speeds on 4x4s) was high on our agenda. I strapped on my trusty helmet, held on for dear life to the hubby, and we took off on the undulating hills of golden-brown sand.

When we returned to the parking lot, the husband discovered his glasses were missing.  His brand new, not cheap, prescription glasses that he needed for the rest of the trip. Clearly, the glasses had been lost in the dunes—more dire than a needle-in-a-haystack situation.

But when the enthusiastic ATV-rental employee heard about our predicament, he jumped onto a vehicle for ‘Mission Impossible: Dubai Diaries.’ He came back a few minutes later with a grin on his face—and glasses in his hands.

When I think back to this story, I’m reminded of another far more incredible one from the deserts near Canaan. A young woman lost and lonely in the endless stretches of sand. She probably imagined that no one could hear her and no one could see her. Hagar, Sarah’s maidservant. Hagar, Abraham’s mistress. Hagar, mistreated and maligned.

In Genesis 16, we witness a pregnant and possibly very tired Hagar fleeing into the desert. She has no plan. She simply sits by a spring—a vulnerable figure in the vast desert. And in those endless miles of sand, God finds her. Every time I read Hagar’s story, God refreshes me with truths that I need to be reminded of. Here are a few of them.

1. God finds us when we’re utterly helpless and incapable of finding Him.

In the wilderness of our lives, when we have nothing to offer God but brokenness, He meets with us. He searches for that one lost sheep. He looks for the lonely. When we are bereft of words and have only tears, God finds us.

2. God calls us when we’re unsure of our own identity.

The very first word God says to Hagar in Genesis 15 is her name.

“Hagar”

Sarah called her “my slave.”

Abraham dismissed her as “your slave.”

But God called her by her name. The God who spoke creation into being, who flung the stars into the sky, who formed a canopy for the sun, speaks her name. He gently restores her identity.

3. God gently probes our hearts when we’re blinded by our own ways.

In that desert, God asks Hagar, “Where have you come from, and where are you going?” (Genesis 16:8). Clearly, the omniscient God already knew the answers to those questions. But often in the Bible we see God begin conversations with gentle yet probing questions. In answering only part one of the question (she was fleeing from Sarai), Hagar likely understood that she had nowhere to actually flee to. She needed the Lord’s direction. She needed Him to show her the way. She needed God.

What are the questions God is asking you today? Is He gently leading you to self-reflection so you submit to His direction?

4. God hears our cries even when we weep in silence.

Hagar was a slave girl with no agency. She couldn’t share her complaints to Abraham. She sure couldn’t take them to Sarah. Did she cry in silence? We don’t know. What we do know is that God heard her. God directs Hagar to call her son, Ishmael, meaning “The Lord hears.”

Friend, sometimes it may feel like there’s no one to turn to. You may feel alone in your pain. But know that God hears your cries, even if they are unexpressed.

5. God assures us of His loving gaze when we think no one sees.

After her encounter with God, Hagar says: “You are the God who sees me.” The past no longer dictates to her. She sees herself the way God sees her. And in that moment, this mistreated and maligned slave girl is empowered in her identity. She becomes the first person in the Bible to give God a name. She calls Him El Roi, the God who sees. And then she adds, “I have seen the One who sees me.”(Genesis 16:13)

In a world that tells us to “look within,” Hagar looked up. And, when she did, she saw God looking at her.

The story of an Egyptian slave girl from thousands of years ago speaks truth to us today. In the vastness of our wilderness seasons, God finds us, He calls us by name, He lovingly probes our hearts, He hears us, and He sees us.

When you look up, do you see Him lovingly gazing upon you?

 

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