Hello
Here’s today’s Holy Nougat
“So Hagar gave Abram a son, and Abram named him Ishmael.” Genesis 16:15 NLT
I sometimes wonder about Hagar’s perspective on her circumstances. As the descendant of persons who were enslaved, Hagar’s voice often cries out to me, demanding justice for rights wrested from her.
Ironically, this son of Hagar is not The heir to Abraham for he was not the son of God’s promise. Just think of all the current tensions which might not exist had Sarah and Abraham waited on God. And of the damage to the psyche which can be avoided if we were not party to similar actions in our contexts.
How many children have been born outside of the marriage union as a result of human selfishness and impatience? And how many times have we been party to the wrong and remain silent? Abraham knew the child was his. He named him Ishmael, ‘God hears.’
The name is our clue to God’s take on the matter. God Hears. When justice is denied in favor of the powerful, God hears. When all are united in a web of silence. God hears. When the dominant trample the rights of the other. God hears. When one’s inheritance is denied in favor of the other. God hears. When good Christian people ignore the plight of the oppressed. God hears.
When you and I offer reprieve and a blessing. God hears. When brokenness transforms to the point of redemption. God hears. Whether you or me or another restoring dignity. God hears.
God sees and hears and intervenes in our brokenness, our pain and our insecurities. God hears and smiles when we get involved, for lives are transformed by random acts of love.
So let’s share our beliefs in word, deed and thought that we’re made in God’s likeness, not commodities to be bought. Today, yesterday … as the days go by, we live in the assurance – God hears our heart’s cry!
In Christ’s love and grace . . .
