Lonely to be Loved! | Genesis 16:1-14, Isaiah 49:16 | God Sees You

This week we’re talking about how it’s easy to feel lonely in this world, to feel unseen. In fact, about half of us are reporting that we’re experiencing feelings of loneliness, but you and I are coming together. We’re linking arms and we’re saying, but wait! We have a God who says, I will never leave you. So, we are honestly never alone. He is always with us.

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Transcription:

When I was growing up, one of my favorite books was Invisible Lissa. She was in middle school and she felt like nobody ever noticed her. Can you relate? I sure could always identify with Lissa. Hi! Welcome to the Bible for Busy People. I’m Erica, your host, and yeah, this week on the pod we’re talking about how it’s easy to feel lonely in this world, to feel unseen. Yes, about half of us are reporting that we’re experiencing feelings of loneliness, but you and I are coming together. We’re linking arms and we’re saying, but wait! We have a God who says, I will never leave you. So, we are honestly never alone. He is always with us.

Remember back at Christmas time, we studied one of the names of God, Emmanuel. It literally means “God is with us.” He’s with us right now. Where two or three are gathered in his name, Jesus says, there I am in the midst of you. Just stop for a moment and soak that up. The God of the universe who made whatever you’re looking at right now, at the moment, I see beautiful Douglas fir trees out my window. Here I see gorgeous clouds. The Bible says, God’s faithfulness reaches toward the heavens. His faithfulness to the skies. Just looking at his creation right now reminds me of his awesomeness. And this awesome God says, I want to be with you. That’s what he says to me. It’s what he says to you. We’re just that loved.

So, today I want to invite you to join me. In Genesis chapter 16. We’re going to meet a woman who was rejected and lonely and hopeless, and we’re going to watch and see how the God of the universe came to her and said, Uh uh, I see you. This is a story that has more layers than a seven layer lasagna, and I wish we had more time to dive in, and maybe we’ll study it at a deeper level one week. But for now, this is a story about a love triangle and it got really messy. It’s also a story about how it’s always best to wait for God’s best. Okay, join me now in Genesis chapter 16, beginning in verse one.

Now Sarai,

Later she would become Sarah.

Abram’s wife,

Later he would become Abraham.

had not been able to bear children for him. But she had an Egyptian servant named Hagar. 2 So Sarai said to Abram, “The Lord has prevented me from having children. Go and sleep with my servant. Perhaps I can have children through her.” And Abram agreed with Sarai’s proposal. 3 So Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar the Egyptian servant and gave her to Abram as a wife. (This happened ten years after Abram had settled in the land of Canaan.) 4 So Abram had sexual relations with Hagar, and she became pregnant. But when Hagar knew she was pregnant, she began to treat her mistress, Sarai, with contempt. 5 Then Sarai said to Abram, “This is all your fault! I put my servant into your arms, but now that she’s pregnant she treats me with contempt. The Lord will show who’s wrong—you or me!” 6 Abram replied, “Look, she is your servant, so deal with her as you see fit.” Then Sarai treated Hagar so harshly that she finally ran away.

Now, I want to pitch a small tent here before we dive back into the story and say, there’s a lot of wrong going on here. Right? Sarai wasn’t being kind. Hagar wasn’t being kind, and Abram was definitely caught in the middle. So, I definitely want to address that, and I’m sure that Sarai was feeling rejected as well, but Hagar, I think she had it the worst in this situation. Verse seven. Now, here comes the good part.

The angel of the Lord found Hagar beside a spring of water in the wilderness, along the road to Shur. 8 The angel said to her, “Hagar, Sarai’s servant, where have you come from, and where are you going?” “I’m running away from my mistress, Sarai,” she replied. 9 The angel of the Lord said to her, “Return to your mistress, and submit to her authority.” 10 Then he added, “I will give you more descendants than you can count.” 11 And the angel also said, “You are now pregnant and will give birth to a son. You are to name him Ishmael (which means ‘God hears’), for the Lord has heard your cry of distress. 12 This son of yours will be a wild man, as untamed as a wild donkey! He will raise his fist against everyone, and everyone will be against him. Yes, he will live in open hostility against all his relatives.” 13 Thereafter, Hagar used another name to refer to the Lord, who had spoken to her. She said, “You are the God who sees me.” She also said, “Have I truly seen the One who sees me?” 14 So that well was named Beer-lahai-roi (which means “well of the Living One who sees me”). It can still be found between Kadesh and Bered.

Oh, my friend, I don’t know what season you’re going through right now. I don’t know who cast you aside, cast you out, forgot about you, but I know someone who will never cast you aside, and who never forgets about you. As a matter of fact, the Bible says your name is engraved on the palms of his hands, says that in Isaiah 49:16, you are not forgotten, and just as God saw Hagar, he sees you. You are not alone. God’s eye is on you. You are the apple of His eye. You are precious to Him. If you feel invisible today, at work, at home, even in the midst of a crowd of people, there is one who sees you. He sees the hurt in your heart. He sees the pain in your eyes. He knows. But he’s watching over you, watching you, period. Loves you so much. He can’t take his eyes off of you. You are the God who sees me. As we wrap up our time together, I want to say these words that Hagar said, and I want you to say them too, if you feel comfortable, “You are the God who sees me.” Oh God, you are the God who sees me. Oh, how we love you, Lord, in Jesus name. Amen. Alright, till next time, you are really loved.

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