Genesis 21:14 Early the next morning Abraham took some food and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar. He set them on her shoulders and then sent her off with the boy. She went on her way and wandered in the Desert of Beersheba.
“One of the purposes of the wilderness is for God to show you that He is God.” – Tony Evans
Wilderness is a place of despondency, debilitating disease or a dead end. It is when we hit the hard wall of rejection, abandonment, redundancy or financial loss. It is a place of hopelessness and helplessness. The purpose of the wilderness is not to break us down but to build us up. The purpose is to show that He is God.
Hagar, Abraham’s concubine, was sent away with her son Ishmael into the wilderness. She wandered around and when her bread and water was gone she left the boy under a bush and sat a few meters away from the child as she did not want to see him die. The Lord met her at her most desperate despondency and opened her eyes to a well from which she could give the dehydrated boy a drink. It is scientifically proven that we cannot live without water for 3 days. So they must have wandered around without water for at least 3 days. God is never too late in visiting His children in the wilderness.
The Lord is never too late in interjecting the dryness in the wilderness. At the point of being dejected and depressed with no more hope or strength left in us, the Lord will intervene. We just have to hold on and wait until the Lord opens our eyes to His providence in the wilderness. Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water (vs 19a). Our provision is in the wilderness.
The purpose of the wilderness:
1. Strength: In the wilderness Hagar wandered until she had no strength left physically and emotionally. At her breaking point, the Angel of the Lord visited her. Wilderness experience will suck out all our strength. There will be times when we want to give up and die. But God has not brought us into the wilderness to destroy us. Hagar found the fountain of life in the well that the Lord took her to. He will build our resilience in the rejection and rebuild our faith and strength in the wilderness.
2. Supplies: In the wilderness our resources will dry up and God will reveal that He is our source. Resources can include money, medical help or mental resoluteness. When encouragers, doctors, family or friends fail, we will learn to trust the source of heaven. God is the source even when all our resources fail.
3. Sufficiency: In the wilderness God will prove that He is more than sufficient. God will open our eyes to His providence in the wilderness. He will mature our faith to trust Him completely and learn the lesson of overcoming worry.
Our provision is in the wilderness.
Genesis 21:20 God was with the boy as he grew up. He lived in the desert and became an archer.
Prayer: Father in Heaven, strengthen my faith to overcome worry and anxiety. Open my eyes to see your providence in the wilderness. Amen.
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