“Wells in the Wilderness”
Gen. 21:14-21
1. DEPRESSION OF HAGAR.
A. DEPRESSION BECOMES DESPAIR WHEN YOU LOOSE YOUR HOPE.
(Prov 13:12) "Hope deferred maketh the heart sick:”
1) Satan is a thief who seeks to steal our hope by redirecting it in people or circumstances.
2) Hagar was a “Victim of Circumstances.”
> Slave in Egypt; Sold to Abraham; Given as a surrogate mother; Cast out because of her son.
3) When People fail us (as they always eventually will) we loose hope and despair.
B. DIRECTION or PURPOSE COMES WHEN YOU PLACE YOUR HOPE IN GOD.
> (Lam 3:21-24) "This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him."
> (Psa 42:5) "Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance."
2. DECISION OF HAGAR Vs. 15,16
A. DEPRESSION CAUSES US TO MAKE BAD DECISIONS.
1) It distorts our perspective.
2) It disrupts our process of thought. (Me- focused)
3. DISCOVERY OF HAGAR. Vs. 17-19
A. THE PRESENCE OF GOD.
1) God had not forgotten her.
a) She had met God many years earlier: (Gen 16:13) "And she called the name of the LORD that spake unto her, Thou God seest me: for she said, Have I also here looked after him that seeth me?"
(1) Even then she realized that she had not sought God. (12 years earlier)
(1 Cor 6:20) "For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's."
DID GOD GET EVERYTHING HE PAID FOR?
B. THE PEACE OF GOD. “Fear not” vs 17 (Phil. 4:6,7)
"And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."
1) God’s peace is always related to God’s presence.
No Christ, No Peace. Know Christ, Know Peace.
For most men the world is centered in self, which is misery: to have one's world centered in God is peace.
If there is righteousness in the heart, there will be beauty in the character. If there is beauty in the character, there will be harmony in the home. If there is harmony in the home, there will be order in the nation. If there is order in the nation, there will be peace in the world. Chinese Proverb
If we have not quiet in our minds, outward comfort will do no more for us than a golden slipper on a gouty foot. John Bunyan (1628-1688)
C. THE PROMISE OF GOD Vs. 18
1) God’s promises are usually long-term!
(2 Peter 1:4) "Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious
promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, "
Hab. 2:1,2 “the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make
it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it. For the vision
is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not
lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will
not tarry.”
D. THE PROVISION OF GOD. Vs 19
1) She was “wandering” in the wilderness of Beersheba.
a) Beersheba means “perfect oath.” A picture of the Bible.
b) God opened her eyes so she could see what He had provided.
1) In our problems we often grow blind to God’s provisions.
c) Some wells that are all around us:
1) The Goodness of God. (Psa 33:5) "the earth is full of the goodness of the LORD."
2) The Grace of God. (2 Cor 12:9) "And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness…."
3) The Greatness of God. (God is greater than our problems)
(Rom 8:28) "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."
If your perception of God is Greater than your Problems ==> Faith
If your perception of God is Less than your Proplems ==> Fear
I know of a man named Worral. He had been stricken with rheumatoid arthritis at age 15, and by the age of 45, he was totally paralyzed except for 1 finger, could barely speak and was totally blind. But he had a string tied to that one mobile finger that could turn on a recorder. He wrote for national magazines, authored books and led a happy and influential life from his bed. This was possible because after initial prayers brought no healing, he accepted his lot graciously and said, "Well Lord! If this is the size plot in life you've staked out for me, let's you and me together show the world what we can grow on it."
Where there is faith, there is love;
Where there is love, there is peace;
Where there is peace, there is God;
And where there is God, there is no need.
Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910)
