Watch for the hand of God

Then she went and sat down opposite him a good way off, about the distance of a bowshot, for she said, "Let me not look on the death of the child." And as she sat opposite him, she lifted up her voice and wept. And God heard the voice of the boy, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, "What troubles you, Hagar? Fear not, for God has heard the voice of the boy where he is. (Genesis 21:16-17 ESV)

When you hear some one cry, what is your first thought? What about the word shelter when used to in terms of someone that has no where to live? We tend to think of both of these in negative terms. Crying can be a sign of sadness, there are tears of joy. But most often crying is a call of need, like a baby cries when it is hungry, tired or needs a diaper. We cry out to God in times of dispair. 

When you se someone crying, what a great opportunity to show the love of Christ through your next action.

God promises daily bread and shelter and clothing, everything we need. However, he doesn't say it will be gourmet meals, designer clothing or a big house with a pool. No, he promises to provide what we need. For some reason, going to a shelter, say for battered women, is sometimes seen as a sign of weakness. In reality, it is a sign of strength, faith in God's Word and promise.

We want to think that we can fix things on our own, that we are responsible so we need to get out of it with our own methods. I am not saying we aren't responsible for our actions,  but God loves and forgives us and is always willing to provide what we need. We just need to be humble, admit our need and ask. Just like Hagar in our Bible passage above. She cried out for help, unable to even look at her son as he was certain to die. What if when she opened her eyes, she would have refused to accept God's gift of the well? What if she said, no Lord, I can do it on my own? Seems silly, right? To reject the help when offered. When faced with a difficult situation, look for God's outreached hand, grab it, and let Him pull you to safety.

God bless you.