Genesis 16  Sarai and Abram were getting older and they still had no children.  Sarai was desperate to have a child but she was barren.  She thought about another way.. she would give her maid, Hagar, to Abram so that he would have a son through that relationship.  It was meant to be a surrogacy, but when Hagar became pregnant immediately, she "despised " her mistress.  Things were not what Sarai had imagined at all..  and so, she blamed it all on Abram. 

Abram didn't take responsibility for Hagar or Sarai.. instead he told Sarai to do whatever she wanted with Hagar.   Sarai treated Hagar so "harshly" that Hagar ran away.  So now she was in an even worse situation.. she was pregnant, alone, a run-away, and without hope. 

But... God.. had another plan.. even for one like Hagar.  He "found" her in the wilderness..."Hagar, Sarai's maid, where have you come from and where are you going?"   He called her by name.  He reminded her of who she was.. not Abram's wife.. but Sarai's maid.  Hagar might have thought she was better than Sarai, since she could have a child and Sarai could not.. maybe she thought she could usurp Sarai's position as Abram's first wife. She had overstepped her position.. forgot who she really was.. an Egyptian slave girl.  The Lord gently reminds Hagar of her need to submit to Sarai.. " Return to your mistress and submit yourself to her authority."  

The Lord asked Hagar where she had come from and where she was going. She confessed that she was fleeing from her mistress.. but she had no answer for where she was going.  She didn't know.. It would have been hard to go back.. but the Lord met Hagar in a personal and powerful way that day.  She called  Him "a God who sees".    He told her that she would have a son and name him Ishmael..( a name that means God hears) ...  so Hagar returned to her home and bore a son for Abram. 

Father in heaven, thank You for being a God who sees and a God who hears.. thank You for finding us when we have run away and don't know what to do.  Thank You for knowing exactly what to do to reach us when we can't find our way out the situations we put ourselves in!  Father, You have promised to draw near to those who draw near to You.. and we are so thankful that You do, but thankful even more that You find us first.. when we don't even know how to seek You or draw near to You. You know where we have come from and where we are going.. even when we don't know that ourselves.  You call us by name.. You bring us home.. Thank you Jesus!  May we submit to Your Spirit's leading and trust completely that You see us and You hear us.. and that You are always willing to draw near! In Jesus' name we pray Amen.