Where Are You Going? ~God

Genesis 16:8

"And he (the Angel of the Lord) said, 'Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from and where are you going?'"

Great question. I ask myself that often. A lot of people these days ask me the same thing. Where am I going?

I know where I came from, literally and figuratively. But I'm unsure where I will literally be going, as far as location, next move, etc. Figuratively, I know where I've been and have a pretty good idea where I want to be, and I know what I don't want to go back to.

Hagar, maidservant of Sarai, was "given" to Sarai's husband, Abram, when Sarai was unable to conceive. She wanted a baby/heir, plain and simple, and wanted the baby NOW. So, as was the custom of the day, she took her maidservant and offered her as a surrogate to Abram.

Hagar got pregnant and then the tension between the two women set in. Sarai mistreated Hagar and Hagar just wanted to escape her circumstances and fled. I can only imagine the drama that must have been involved in that situation. I read Hagar didn't want to see Sarai's face. (We as humans haven't changed much have we?)

What happened next is what I love.

Hagar alone, pregnant, without a home, without a place in life, decided to go back to what she knew before life in the Abram clan. What she knew before was life in Egypt. Life serving other idols.

While sitting at a spring The Angel of the Lord appears to her. He asks her where she has come from and where she is going. Wow! Can you even imagine? She saw The ONE, the LORD. (Many commentaries state this may have been a preincarnate manifestation of Christ as God's Messanger-Servant.) He asked her what kind of plan she thought SHE was making. She probably didn't know where she was going, but responded, "I'm running away from my mistress."

She was running away. How often do we just want to flee what was undesireable, but don't have the next destination figured out?

I'm currently reading Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers and the main character of the book has a similar life story. Rather than see what God has in store for her, she keeps wanting to flee back to what is familiar. It's not what is better for her, it's just predictable.

In Hagar's encounter with the Angel of the LORD she calls God, El Roi, "The One who sees me" or, "The Living One who sees me." Does it get any better than that?? The ONE who sees me knows my circumstances and knows my heart. He knows what lies ahead and what is in the past. He knows the answers to the questions I have asked and even the answers to the questions I'm afraid to ask. He's got the plan for today and the plan for tomorrow. I just need to trust in His Goodness and be patient.

So, if you're wondering, "Where is she going?" My response is...I'm going where God wants me to go. I'm trusting Him to provide the destination.