More than once in my life I have found myself in hard places, and that is putting it mildly!  I have suffered abuse, been in financial despair, had a miscarriage, walked through extreme church conflict, had a child with cancer and lost a son.  Even when we belong to God, we can find ourselves in hard places.

I love to teach, but I also love to challenge others to dig and learn on their own.  Take a few minutes to read a little about a woman named Hagar.  Yes, I know she birthed Ishmael, but she really had no choice in the matter.  She was owned by the family.

Once Sarah realized what she had set in motion, she mistreated Hagar terribly, and a pregnant Hagar fled. Hagar – abused and despised, sitting alone in a wilderness. That is a hard place in life.  Take time to read Genesis 16 to get the details.

Hagar learned some things about God while she was in that hard place.  She learned He sees what we go through; she learned God hears our cries when life has become hopeless; she learned He cares about our circumstances; she learned He will give promises to us in the hard place.

Maybe Hagar’s story is your story right now.  God sees you today.

Hagar gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her:  “You are the God who sees me” (Genesis 16:13).