ODJ: tender talk

Eat, Our Daily Journey | December 7, 2009 12:03 am

odj_071209

December 7, 2009 


The Lord has heard your cry of distress (v.11). 

READ: Genesis 16:6-11 

Sheryl Crow gets it—at least when it comes to 
 loneliness. Her lyrics express our longing for 
 relationships and the questions that bubble to the surface when we live in isolation for too long. Does anybody want me? Does anybody need me? What will I do if the answer is “no”?


For Hagar, the answer was no, and she hit the road, leaving behind Sarai and Abram. The thing was, Hagar was carrying Abraham’s child, but Sarai had “treated Hagar so harshly that she finally ran away” (Gen. 16:6).


The only one who came looking for Hagar was the angel of the Lord. The angel found her alone and in the desert. He struck up a conversation by asking, “Where have you come from, and where are you going?” (v.8). Although God already knew the answers, His messenger established a two-way connection with Hagar to ease the pain of her isolation.


As this tender talk unfolded, the angel reassured her that her solitude was temporary, and He gave her a revelation of God Himself—showing that He truly cared for her.


Hagar’s aloneness mattered to God. The angel said, “The Lord has heard your cry of distress” (v.11). While the Bible doesn’t record Hagar’s desperate plea, it appears that God’s healing dialogue started in the most heartbreaking and loneliest moment of her life.




Are you suffering from the ache of absentee friends or family? Remember that God hears your call of distress, and He’s ready to talk openly and tenderly to you—to lead you out of your loneliness. After all, the One who soothed Hagar’s soul is “the God who sees me . . . the Living One who sees me” (vv.13-14). 
—Jennifer Benson Schuldt

NEXT
How do you view the way God communicates with you? What two-way conversation have you recently had with Him? What was the result? 
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

2 Comments

  1. Kingskid says:

    Thanks for this devotional,I’m really blessed, suits my present situation.

    Reply
  2. Bibi says:

    tanx a lot av been blessed by dis writeup, bin in that situation lately i just needed those soothing words from God and he did through kirk franklin’s song jesus let me touch you and see if you are real.

    Reply

Leave a Comment

Related

ODJ: help the weak
0

ODJ: help the weak

April 10, 2010 Brothers and sisters, we urge you to warn those who are lazy. Encourage those who are timid. Take tender care of 
those who are weak. 
Be patient with 
everyone (v.14).
  READ: 1 Thessalonians 5:12-28 On April 25, 2003, 13-year-old Natalie Gilbert 
 was singing the United States National Anthem 
 for a National [...]

Published on April 10, 2010 12:02 am
HOPE (2)
2

HOPE (2)

This song by Third Day says it better. Cry out to Jesus Written by Mac Powell Performed by Third Day Cry out to Jesus To everyone who’s lost someone they love long before it was their time You feel like the days you had were not enough when you said goodbye And to all of [...]

Published on May 21, 2009 1:02 am
ODJ: rude and racist?
0

ODJ: rude and racist?

June 20, 2011 Jesus responded, “It isn’t right to take food from the children and throw it to the dogs” (v.26).  READ: Matthew 15:21-28 Jesus could be harsh at times. He called Pharisees “whitewashed tombs” (that is, nice on the outside, disgusting within); He called Herod a “fox”; He even called Peter “Satan” (Matthew 23:27; Luke [...]

Published on June 20, 2011 12:01 am
ODJ: resolved
1

ODJ: resolved

February 4, 2011 Turn away from evil and do good. Search for peace, and work to maintain it (v.11).  READ: 1 Peter 3:8-18 Checking the texting inbox on my phone, I understood my friend’s frustration when I read her message: “I am sick of unresolved conflict!! I can’t take it anymore!” Ironically, our Bible study the [...]

Published on February 4, 2011 12:02 am