Streams of Comfort

When I found myself meditating on Psalm 103, I thought about Hagar. A woman who lived long ago in an entirely different world than our current one, but not unlike us sometimes. I think sometimes we think of the people in the bible as either fictional characters meant to warn us or teach us a lesson. It is exceptionally important to read the bible within its context, of course. It is not a “How-to” guide. Even I forget though, that the people in the bible were just people (other than Jesus, of course). Going about their lives as we are. When I thought about the character of God, and one of the elements, compassion, I went straight to Hagar’s story. When she found herself in circumstances that went beyond her control, willing participant or not, she arrived at her most desperate place. Abraham and Sarah abandoned her. In the wilderness with Ishmael. All alone. Exiled. That did not exclude her from God’s mercy and compassion. One would think, that maybe given Abraham’s promise from God, He clearly “chose a side”. Yet God made His own promises to Hagar. To protect her and give her a brighter future. And so, she gives Him a name. The God who sees (Gen 16:13). He saw her when she felt desperate, lonely, and unseen. He had compassion for her. Just as He has for all of us. That is the God we follow.

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There’s a door that goes to a place I dread.
The place reserved for hate.
And when you carried me to the far reaches of myself
I cracked under the endless pain.
No daylight to stay awake and no place to dry when it rains.
The momentum of my life seemed to pause.
Exhaling as I came to the edge of frailty.
I almost shattered, as I begged God
With the little I had,
To look at me.
See this state I’m in.
See this pain I’m in.
See the toll it’s taking on my loved ones.
On my sanity.
Like Hagar, I called upon the God who sees.
There’s no one else that would understand.
No one else who could see.
Suddenly the door slammed closed.
And another one opened.
One that went to a place I never dared hope for.
The place reserved for mercy.
Worn to the bone I found myself again.
The God of universe had compassion for someone like me.
He saw me and did not turn away.
Because that’s who He was, is, and always will be.

Alice R.