March 18, 2024

He Found Her

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There is a story in the Bible about a mother that no one loved. Is there a name that comes to mind?  My first guess was Rebekkah, the mother that deceived her husband and stole the birthright from her firstborn. But it is not. Do you remember Hagar? She was the Egyptian handmaid to Sarah, the wife of Abraham.

Sarah was unable to have children, so Sarah suggested that Abraham have relations with Hagar so he could have a son. She thought she would be fine with it. She wasn’t at all. See, she wanted an heir for Abraham so badly and she was not willing to wait on the Lord, and the plan turned on her. She became really jealous. She put her will before God’s.

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.
Then Sarai said to Abram, “This is all your fault!
I put my servant in your arms, but now that she’s pregnant she treats me with contempt.
The Lord will show who’s wrong—you or me!”
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.
Genesis 16:4-6 NLT

So, you can see that Hagar is the least-loved mother  in the Bible.  She was young, she was pregnant, and she was all alone.  Instead of help, she received harshness and Abram, the father, turned his back on her also. She had no one—no family or friends.  But she had God.

The angel of the Lord found Hagar beside a spring of water in the wilderness,
along the road to Shur. The angel said to her, “Hagar, Sarai’s servant,
where have you come from, and where are you going?”
“Im running away from my mistress, Sarai,” she replied. The angel of the Lord said to her,
“Return to your mistress, and submit to her authority.”
Then he added, “I will give you more descendants than you can count.”
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.
Genesis 16: 7-11

What do you think of Hagar? When the world was ready to blame her, the Lord redeemed her. Hagar was lost and the Lord found her. She was alone in her wilderness, and really alone but God came to her rescue.

For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.
Luke 19:10

The Lord found her… the Lord favored her. He promised her more descendants than she could count and told her that she was already pregnant!  Ishmael is full of God’s favor yet the world thinks differently. Did she deserve it? No, but Jesus says in Matthew 11:28,”Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens and I will give you rest.”

The Lord became her friend. “Therefor, Hagar used another name to refer to the Lord, who had spoken to her. She said,”You are the God who sees me” (Genesis 16:13). Hagar gave her new friend a new name that day, “El Roi,” which means ‘the God who looks, inspects, considers’.  She considered Him the God who saw her needs and decided to help her. God never left her alone.

Is this you today? Do you feel alone or abandoned? If the world has cast you out or maybe you have retreated to your own desert, the Lord sees you. He knows where you are and He will meet you right there! He loves you and He is your friend. He sees you! Hold on to His love today and cry out to Him. There is so much joy waiting for you and blessings beyond your wildest dreams. And if you don’t know Him or you don’t know how to reach Him, then pray this with me:

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   * 

Dear God, I am a sinner. I know I need Your forgiveness and mercy. I want a new life, and I want to walk with You. Today I ask You into my heart, to guide me and direct me. Thank You. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen!

{{ If you prayed this prayer today, please let us know in the comment section.  We  would love to rejoice with you in this journey and be praying for you! }}

GCH: Decaf — Meet My Friend Rebekkah!

Happy New Year my wonderful girls!!!  I have missed you all : ) I do hope that you all had a wonderful Christmas! I hope that you all know that this year God is going to do some wonderful things for you and your families.

I was so excited when Mama T told us that we would be getting to know more of you better during this particular study : ) I am exciting about the wonderful things that we are all going to find out about each one of you! Each one of you is unique and wonderful in God’s sight and ours! Well, let me introduce to you the fabulous young lady that I know through her lovely Mom, Mama T!

I have the wonderful opportunity of introducing to you: Rebekkah!

Rebekkah

Rebekkah

Rebekkah is 16 years old and she lives in Smyrna, TN. She is one of the beautiful 8 daughters of Mama T : ) Her favorite musician is non other than Cody Simpson, and her favorite Christian Artist is Toby Mac!!! Whenever I hear Toby Mac’s name, I think of the song that he sang with Kirk Franklin, “Be Still and Know that I Am God”. I love that song!! “Can I get up now?” Toby Mac is a fantastic artist! Rebekkah, I can see why you like him!

I truly believe that laughter is definitely good for the soul. I believe that Rebekkah thinks so too; her all time favorite movie, when asked, is “Madea’s Witness Protection Program”. If you want a good laugh, that movie will definitely have you in tears! LOL! Emily Owens M.D. is her favorite TV show.

We definitely have the same style of dress. Rebekkah likes to dress casual and comfy. What a great combination! You can’t go wrong with that : ) She likes to go shopping and watch movies when she is with her friends.

She loves to eat bacon and her favorite place to eat is Famous Dave’s. I have to try Famous Dave’s! Can you believe that I have never been there to eat? I guess I have to put that on my list of places to go and try.

When asked what was the one thing that changed her life, she said that it would have to be her realizing that the relationship that she was in was not bringing her closer to God. WOW!! I am so amazed with this young lady, that even at her age, she was able to see and recognize that in her relationship! Rebekkah, I am so very proud of you! It can be so easy to fall out of the will of God when we are going after what we want in a relationship and that person is not directing us down the right path, that God desires for us to go down. Hats off to you Rebekkah <3



If you are interested in joining us in our GCH:decaf Teen Girls Ministry, please email GCH_Decaf@girlfriendscoffeehour.com for more information. We’ll be starting our next online Bible study soon! So be sure to keep checking back for sign-up details to be posted!