“Then she went and sat down across from him at a distance of about a bowshot; for she said to herself, “Let me not see the death of the boy.” So she sat opposite him, and lifted her voice and wept. And God heard the voice of the lad. Then the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said to her, “What ails you, Hagar? Fear not, for God has heard the voice of the lad where he is. Arise, lift up the lad and hold him with your hand, for I will make him a great nation.” Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. And she went and filled the skin with water, and gave the lad a drink. So God was with the lad; and he grew and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer. He dwelt in the Wilderness of Paran; and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt.”
Genesis 21:16-21
Hagar lifted her voice and wept. It seems as though she was captive to her circumstances and the cruel reality was that she and her boy were done for. She was completely desperate and crying out, and who shows up…Jesus. Who is the angel of God, or the angel of the Lord? It’s the preincarnate Christ…its Jesus. That’s the way it is, when we in desperation cry out to God, when we lift our voices, when we passionately make known our case before the Lord, no matter your background or past, He hears and responds.
How do I know?
Take a look at a guy named Jeremiah. He was what some might consider a model of failure and futility. He was God’s prophet for over forty years, yet not one convert, not even a re-dedication, all he got from the people he tried to help was mockery and beatings. He was put in prison, thrown into a well, and taken captive to Egypt against his will. He was no stranger to crying out to God; in fact his nickname is the “weeping prophet” for penning the book of Lamentations. But even a guy like Jeremiah heard from God, in some of his hardest most troubling moments God spoke to Jeremiah and said:
“…I will visit you and perform My good word toward you, and cause you to return to this place. For I know the thoughts I have toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back from your captivity…”
Jeremiah 29:10-14
You see, it doesn’t matter if you’re the head of a seemingly failing ministry, or the cast away that is hopelessly bound for death. Jesus is there, He hears your cry, and He’s responded. He desires that all would be saved and none would perish. He says He desires to bring good towards you, that when you seek Him with all your heart…then you will find Him and He’ll bring you out of your gnarly situation.
Where are you today?
Do you feel as though you’re wandering through the wilderness of life, things are dry and you’re getting nowhere fast?
Perhaps you’re like Jeremiah who thought you were called and anointed but all you seem to receive is boos and hiss’ from your friends and your ministry has no apparent fruit?
Cry out to Jesus! Call to Him! Seek Him with all your heart, and God will “Open your eyes” to find the hope, peace, and joy that will never go dry, leave you hanging, or forsake you.
Count on it!
