SCRIPTURE: Genesis 21:14-21

14: And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took bread, and a bottle of water, and gave it unto Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, and the child, and sent her away: and she departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba.
15: And the water was spent in the bottle, and she cast the child under one of the shrubs.
16: And she went, and sat her down over against him a good way off, as it were a bow shot: for she said, Let me not see the death of the child. And she sat over against him, and lift up her voice, and wept.
17: And God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said unto her, What aileth thee, Hagar? fear not…
21: And he dwelt in the wilderness of Paran: and his mother took him a wife out of the land of Egypt.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: THE WILDERNESS DOES NOT MEAN GOD HAS ABANDONED YOU

The passage presents one of the most encouraging pictures of God’s care in difficult circumstances. Abraham sent Hagar and Ishmael away with bread and water. But when the water was exhausted, Hagar found herself in the wilderness with her son. She became overwhelmed, sat at a distance, and began to weep. It appeared that everything had come to an end. But God was already there. God heard the cry of the boy, called to Hagar, encouraged her, and opened her eyes to see a well of water.

The great lesson is this: Your wilderness may be dry, but God’s provision is not dry. The wilderness does not mean God has abandoned you, Hagar and Ishmael were in the wilderness, but God had not forgotten them.

Sometimes we associate difficult seasons with God’s absence. We ask, “Where is God in this situation?” But this passage shows us that God can be present even in the wilderness. The wilderness may represent financial difficulty, family challenges, uncertainty, disappointment, loneliness, ministry pressure or delayed expectations. You may feel that nobody understands what you are going through, but God knows. Your tears are not invisible to God. Your prayers are not wasted. Your cries have reached heaven. God sees you and hears you. God will provide for you. He will open your eyes to see His provision.

ASSIGNMENT
Spend time today thanking God for what He has already provided.

PRAYER
Heavenly Father, let Your supernatural provision locate me in this season.