Faithful Burning Bush
The bush in my front yard is a dull red color most of the year. You walk past it and not notice it. And then, in the autumn, it turns an orange red and the morning sun hits it and it looks like I imagine Moses’ burning bush looked. Amazing.
I don’t do much of anything to this bush. Most of the time, I don’t even notice it. Yet every year, all the growing season, there it is. Quietly doing its thing.
And then, in the autumn, it lights like a fire.
Banished
I’ve been hearing about Hagar a lot lately. You remember, she was Sarah’s handmaid, given to Abraham, to be a brood mare. Er…to have a child that Sarah planned to raise as her own. Only she didn’t. After having her own biological child, Sarah asked her husband to banish Hagar and her child. He did.
So, there was Hagar in the desert with her child. Alone together. She prepared them both for death. No protection from the desert sun and sands, and provisions that dwindled away.
How frightening.
God Sees
But God sees. Everything. All the time. And all at once. Amazing. But He is God. Omniscient.
God talked to Hagar that day. He assured her she and her child were not forgotten. She was not invisible. God gave her a vision for the future, and told her to go and serve, He was with her.
I guess He was. Her descendants are many.
Struggle
I think many of us struggle with feeling invisible, unimportant, and unneeded. Yet so much happens in the world around us that we cannot see. God has plans for us to serve Him and one another. Maybe it’s a small thing, but it could have large outcomes down the line that we may only observe from heaven one day. And who knows what those benefits might be to those who come behind us?
Because we have trusted that God has seen us. Because of our obedience to His plan for us. He has purpose for every obstacle or straight path in front of us. He sticks with us through all things. Makes our efforts go further than we could ever imagine. Because we trust Him. He is faithful.
Like He saw Hagar, He sees us.
Trust His Presence
Abide with Me. Walk with Me in purity of spirit and willingness of heart and I will take you far. The sands stretch over the horizon, but the treasures are there. I will be with you. Walk this path I have set before you. Don’t veer to the right or the left. I am with you. I am your loving Father.*
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