God heard the boy’s voice, and God’s angel called to Hagar from heaven: “What is the matter, Hagar? Do not fear; God has heard the boy’s voice in this plight of his.
Get up, lift up the boy and hold him by the hand; for I will make of him a great nation.”
Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. She went and filled the skin with water, and then let the boy drink. (Genesis 21:17-19 NABRE)
Hagar had been a slave of Abraham and Sarah's. She bore Abraham a son, Ishmael, before Sarah had Isaac. Because she was a slave, she and her son were sent away once Isaac was born because Sarah did not want him sharing an inheritance with Isaac. Roaming unprepared in the desert, the pair ran out of water and Hagar quickly became despondent when she realized her son was close to death.
In this truly desperate situation, God reached out to Hagar, showed her a well of water which was nearby, and promised her son would have a great inheritance of his own.
Even in situations we think are hopeless, God provides. Today, right now, there are families displaced from their homes due to war, economic unrest, and other tragic reasons. At this minute, there are families which are breaking apart because of infidelity, sickness, poverty, and other causes. God is there.
When we suffer life's most bitter losses, God is with us. Let us pray that whenever we are tried we remember his immediate presence and look to him to provide for us when we cannot provide for ourselves.
Today, I will pray for those who are cast out from safe places and for families that are separated.
Blessed Junipero Serra, seventeenth-century Franciscan friar, mission founder, and missionary to Native Americans, pray for us.
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