The God Who Sees and Hears Has a Plan for You

The God who works through difficult situations also worked through another ancient story; a story of a single mother who was treated unfairly and how God saved her.

A man and his wife were having trouble getting pregnant. They were sure that they were supposed to have a baby. They wanted more than anything to have a baby. So one day, since the woman wasn't conceiving, she told her husband that they should ask their maid if she would be a surrogate mother. The husband agreed and since this was before artificial insemination, the husband went and had sex with the maid and she conceived. After the maid became pregnant, the wife started treating her badly; so badly that the maid ran away into the wilderness.

But an angel appeared to the maid who had run away into the wilderness. She was sitting by a spring of water. And the angel asked her what she was doing, and she told him. The angel said, "God has heard your cry of affliction." He told her that her son would grow to be a great man. He told her to return to the man and his wife (because being out alone and pregnant was very dangerous) and serve them and that God would do great things for her. So she named the spring of water she was sitting by, "God sees me." She trusted God and returned and gave birth to a baby boy.

It wasn't too long afterward that the husband and wife finally had a baby boy of their own. And as their new son was a couple years old, the wife saw the maid's son mocking her son and she became angry and demanded that her husband drive the maid and her son out of her house. The husband was distressed because both of the boys were his. But God spoke to the husband and told him that He would care for the maid's son, just as the angel had told the maid, so the husband listened to his wife and sent the maid and her son away.

The husband gave them a little food and water, but once the food and water were gone, they found themselves alone in the wilderness fearing for their lives. Finally they became exhausted and faced starvation. The maid lay the boy down under some bushes and sat down a few hundred meters away and said, "I can't bear to watch the boy die." While she sat there, she wept loudly.

But God heard the boy crying and and angel of God appeared to the maid and said, "What's wrong? Don't be afraid, for God has heard the boy crying from where he is. Get up, help the boy, and take him by the hand, for I will make him a great nation." Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well. So she went and got some water and gave the boy a drink. God was with the boy, and he grew; he settled in the wilderness and became an archer. (Genesis 16 & 21)

Have you ever felt like this maid? She was just trying to help. But she ended up being hated, rejected and driven away to die. But God had a plan for both the maid and her son. It was when the maid and the boy cried out that God heard and answered and provided for their needs.

Cry out to God today. Here's a sample prayer you can cry out to God. This was written by someone in a similar situation as yours. It was written with the understanding that our "enemies" are not so much "people" as "forces of darkness" in this world:

Lord, hear my prayer.
In your faithfulness listen to my plea,
and in your righteousness answer me.
Do not bring your servant into judgment,
for no one alive is righteous in your sight.

For the enemy has pursued me,
crushing me to the ground,
making me live in darkness
like those long dead.
My spirit is weak within me;
my heart is overcome with dismay.

I remember the days of old;
I meditate on all you have done;
I reflect on the work of your hands.
I spread out my hands to you;
I am like parched land before you.

Answer me quickly, Lord;
my spirit fails.
Don’t hide your face from me,
or I will be like those
going down to the Pit.

Let me experience
your faithful love in the morning,
for I trust in you.
Reveal to me the way I should go
because I appeal to you.
Rescue me from my enemies, Lord;
I come to you for protection.

Teach me to do your will,
for you are my God.
May your gracious Spirit
lead me on level ground.
For your name’s sake, Lord,
let me live.

In your righteousness deliver me from trouble,
and in your faithful love destroy my enemies.
Wipe out all those who attack me,
for I am your servant. (Psalm 143)