Genesis 16

"Then she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, 'You are a God who sees'; for she said, 'Have I even remained alive here after seeing Him?'
Therefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi (the well of the living one who sees me); behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered." Gen 16:13-14

This is from one of my favorite stories.  The story of Hagar. It is tucked away in the middle of the larger story of Abraham.  Hagar is a minor character, her story is told in 28 verses. She only has 3 or 4 lines, though much of the action moves around her. 

Every time I read her story, I find hope and peace.

Hagar was Sarai's maidservant, whom she gave to Abram.  God had promised Abram a son, and Sarai was barren, so she send her maid to have a son in her place.  When Hagar conceives scripture says she despised Sarai.  Sarai (with Abram's blessing) treats her harshly.  So Hagar runs away.

And then this amazing. beautiful, nearly unbelievable thing happens: The Angel of the Lord finds her and speaks to her!  The NIV text note says that the Angel of the Lord is traditional seen as the "Preincarnate manifestation of Christ".

Jesus comes and finds Hagar. 

It blows my mind every time.  Hagar truly has nothing on her side that would make her "attractive" to God.  She has done nothing to earn his attention, let alone his favor.  She is a woman in a patriarchal culture, and then a slave.  She is carrying a child that interferes with God's plan and promise to Abraham.  Yes, you could argue that she is just a pawn, that she was only doing what Sarai made her do.  True, but when she gets pregnant she despises Sarai.  Maybe she starts to mouth off, or talk behind her back.  Whatever it was, it was enough that Sarai goes to Abram and tells him off about it.  He then tells her to do whatever she wants with Hagar.  So Sarai "treats her harshly"...maybe she starts to hit her?  So Hagar runs away.  No one is right in this story.  But even in the midst of that "straight from Jerry Springer" drama, Jesus comes and finds Hagar.  And he speaks to her.  He tells her to go home, and submit to Sarai, but also that she is going to have son and she is to name him Ishmael, that her descendants will be too numerous to count.  How beautiful is that...it is the same promise that God made to Abram.

Hagar's response sums it all up for me: "Then she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, 'You are a God who sees'; for she said, 'Have I even remained alive here after seeing Him?'"

She knows that she has seen God, and she know that she should have died, so she gives him the only name she can: "God who sees".

I can not put into words the hope for Grace, that this passage fills me with.  In the very middle of the messes that we make of our lives, God sees us.  Not only does he have answers for how to fix our messes,  he has promises for our futures; promises we don't deserve, and we can't earn.

And if this where not enough, a few chapters later, Hagar and Ishmael are sent away by Abraham.  They run out of water in desert, and Hagar is sure they are going to die, so she lives Ishmael in the shade. She can't bear the sight of him dying.  God calls out to her again, he reaffirms his promise to make Ishmael a great nation, and then leads them to water. 

So beautiful.  Grace upon grace.