Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. So, she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink.
Genesis 21: 19
If you walk down the main streets of many modern cities in the world, you will notice beautiful, bold, well-designed and well-constructed buildings. You will notice the well-coiffed, collared, and well-heeled individuals who hurry about with their briefcases and important looking binders. Quite often you will also notice the panhandlers who lurk in the shadows of all this worldly success, and place themselves strategically at street corners, begging for pennies and handouts, day in and day out, stuck in the rut of poverty and squalor, going nowhere fast. Why?
Sadly, this is how many Christians live. That’s right! Many believers live like paupers in the shadows of heaven’s bounty, when they should live like kings and queens and heirs to the Kingdom of heaven. John 10:10b reminds us, “…I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” But instead of this abundant life, we settle for crumbs that fall off the world’s table; a little plaque with a title, a promotion that is here today but could be gone tomorrow, a few extra dollars that don’t quite cover the inflation rate…you get the drift. Why?
Genesis 21: 19, reveals the story of Hagar and her son. They were in the wilderness and her son was about to die of thirst. Hagar had searched everywhere but could not find water. Water was essential for keeping both mother and son alive. Amid this unfolding tragedy, something shocking happened, God opened her eyes and she saw a well. The amazing thing is that God did not create the well, it had been there all along, but Hagar did not see it, until she began to search diligently, desperate to save her life and that of her child, only then did God open her eyes, so that she saw life, in a place where only death had beckoned earlier.
Dear friend, Jeremiah 29:13 reminds us that, “You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.” Hebrews 11: 6 further states, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him.” Don’t settle for crumbs in the wilderness. Don’t settle for things that thieves, can steal, kill and destroy. Don’t settle for blessings that only affect you. Don’t set your bar that low. Instead, be a Hagar, get desperate! And if you must pursue anything, pursue the Water of Life, Jesus Christ Himself. Just as he responded to Hagar’s desperation, he will respond to your desperation. He will open your eyes so that you will be able to see the abundant opportunities that surround you. You will see the endless possibilities that lead to living life in the shadows of heaven’s bounty. And when you do, this is his firm promise to you, that if you “…seek first his kingdom and his righteousness,” then “all these things shall be given unto you.” When you receive these blessings, you will become a conduit of blessing to others. Hagar thrived and saved her son’s life in the process because she placed her hope in God; and you will become a source of greater blessing to others, if you do likewise. Aim higher; he is worth it!
Loving and gracious God, forgive me for settling for crumbs in this wilderness. Teach me how to aim higher. Manifest yourself in me, that I might truly understand, that godliness with contentment is great gain (1 Timothy 6:6). Stir up within my heart, a hunger and thirst for you. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.