So I opened the eyes of my heart and mind. I looked back on my life and some of my more recent experiences. That’s when I saw His glory …
When I was asked to give my testimony to an arena gathering of twenty thousand people ten days after my mother went to heaven, God kept my knees from buckling, my voice from quavering, my tears from falling … then gave me His words to offer the hope of heaven to those who were there. As I look back, I can see His comfort that He had given me was enough to share so that I could comfort others.8
When I had radical personnel changes in my ministry that could have caused major damage to my small team, He rallied the core staff around me, then brought in other outstanding personnel so that today we are stronger and better than we were before we faced the changes. As I look back, I can see His wisdom that perfected our operations.9
When I underwent major abdominal surgery, He surrounded me with love, provided for my every need, and blessed me with the 24/7 attentiveness of my two daughters. Then He gave me His strength four weeks later to climb up on a platform surrounded by eight thousand women and deliver three messages, lead one workshop, and oversee the simulcast for our Just Give Me Jesus revival in Augusta, Georgia. As I look back, I can see His strength that was more than sufficient in my weakness.10
When my husband, Danny, was rushed to the hospital where he remained for three weeks with a MRSA infection, it was at a time when my schedule “happened” to be clear so that I only had to cancel one commitment to be with him. And God answered prayer by miraculously bringing Danny back from the brink of death with a spiritually revived heart! As I look back, I can see that not only is He Jehovah-Rophe, the One Who Heals us, but He also is the Good Shepherd who goes before us, leads us, and cares for us as we follow Him.11
I actually could go on for pages, sharing example after example, glimpse on top of glimpse of His glory that He has given me in the darkness. The interesting thing I have learned is that I can’t seem to see His glory at the moment of my distress. As He told Moses, I have not been allowed to see His “face” … the front side. I can’t seem to see in advance how He is going to provide, undergird, equip, sustain, strengthen, or bless me when life closes in around me. But when He brings me through, I look back and I can see that He has been with me every moment, every step of the way.
So … if you find yourself stuck in the cleft of a rock, would you ask the God of Moses to show you His glory? Then look back …
And if you are wandering in the wilderness — that spiritually dry, barren, lonely, rocky place — would you remember that the God of Hagar is still there?
TEN
God Stands By
He Hears Your Cry for Help
When the water in the skin was gone, she put the boy under one of the bushes. Then she went off and sat down nearby, about a bowshot away, for she thought, “I cannot watch the boy die.” And as she sat there nearby, she began to sob.
Genesis 21:15–16
God doesn’t always reveal Himself to us as dramatically as we would like Him to. Nor does God always answer our cry immediately. But when we call on Him, He hears. And He will answer. I have experienced His faithfulness to stand by and answer when I call.
Four weeks following major surgery I led our Just Give Me Jesus revival, as I mentioned in the previous chapter. The week’s schedule included team meetings, a press conference, individual media interviews, and a videotaping, as well as my own preparation. It was then capped off by the revival itself, which was held in the James Brown Arena Friday evening and all day Saturday. When I stepped up on the platform Friday night, although I should have been weak and exhausted after such an intense week, I don’t think I’ve ever felt stronger or more confident that God was going to see me through to the end.
God poured out His blessing that Friday night as we witnessed hundreds coming to the cross in repentance of sin. And because He doesn’t run out of blessings, He also poured them out in abundance all day Saturday, which was a ministry marathon. He gave me energy to give the opening devotional, the first message, the interactive Bible study workshop, and the final message.
About halfway through the last message, I felt led to share about my surgery with the audience. I knew that I had experienced a continuous and miraculous infusion of His strength and power throughout the weekend in particular, and I wanted those present to be encouraged in their own journeys of faith by glimpsing His glory. So in just a sentence or two, I briefly shared what I had been through, asking them, If He can help me, then why do you think He can’t help you also?
Almost as soon as the words went out of my mouth, I began to feel weak and dizzy. I placed my hands on the cross-shaped podium to balance and steady myself, but as my tongue thickened and my words became slurred, I knew I was going to go down. Inside, my thoughts were somewhat frantic. I had just told the audience that the Spirit of God had given me strength and was available to do so for them. If I went down, it would communicate to them that I was a liar, and so was He. My collapse would say without words that He could not be depended on in an impossible, or even difficult, situation. I knew it would tarnish His glory that I so earnestly had wanted them to see. Only a few moments had passed, I’m sure, but it was enough time for me to become clammy and damp, and for my eyes to begin to lose their focus as the arena around me blurred. Silently, in my heart, I cried out! The prayer was very simple. Jesus, help me!
At the moment I cried out, a cool breeze swept across the platform … and kept blowing. I regained my composure as my body felt refreshed by the moving air. I stopped slurring and my focus returned. My words began to come out clearly, and as I closed with a challenge to live for Jesus, then gave the benediction, my voice was actually dynamic and forceful.
The next day, I asked our production manager if he or any of the people behind the cameras had noticed me struggling and turned on a fan. He laughed when he said, Anne, there is no fan in that older venue that we could have turned on even if we had wanted to. And I knew God had heard my cry and intervened to save me from a dramatic collapse.
God stands by. And not just on a public-arena platform, but He stands by in life. Every moment of every day in every situation. But you and I may need to cry out before He helps us. How disheartening it would be if one day we get to heaven and discover all the situations we may have been saved from, all the blessings we may have experienced, if we had only cried out to Him for help but didn’t.
A family friend related to me that for years he had shared the gospel with his beloved doctor. Because of serious health issues that required my friend to make repeated office visits, he and the doctor had become close friends. The doctor, who was of another religion, rejected again and again the Good News that my friend presented to him. But one night a tremendous earthquake shook the entire area where they both lived.
Several days later, my friend was once again in the doctor’s office. This time, the doctor had a warm smile on his face and a sparkle in his eyes as he shared that he had finally repented of his sin and trusted Jesus as his Savior. My friend was thrilled! When he asked how the doctor had finally come to that decision after resisting it for so long, the doctor replied, “I was born again between the bed and the floor.” Then with a smile he explained that the earthquake had thrown him out of his bed and that before he hit the floor he had cried out to be saved from his sin. And God, who had been standing by, saved him.
The Bible portrays Abraham as a man who knew what it was to cry out to God. His prayer life was one of his strengths. He often talked with God not only on his own behalf, but also on behalf of others.1 When he built his altars for prayer, he did so in plain, public view.2 There is no doubt that Hagar had witnessed Abraham building those places of prayer, as well as overheard him talking to God. So it is especially curious why Hagar, after twenty-five years of living in Abraham’s household, didn’t follow his example and pray about her desperate situation.
Maybe Hagar was so overwhelmed by a combination of emotional and phys
ical trauma —shock, fear, confusion, thirst, and exhaustion — that it never occurred to her to pray. Or perhaps it did occur to her, but maybe she thought of God as someone who was available at altars and for spiritual needs but not in the desert and for practical needs — like water and directions. Maybe she reasoned God didn’t really care about her anyway, at least not as a distinct individual in her own right. Perhaps the only reason He really cared about her in the first place was because she was a member of Abraham’s household. If so, she must have felt she had now forever lost God’s blessing and forfeited His attention. Even if she once felt assured that He at least cared about her son, that hope may have evaporated when Isaac was born. Or maybe she was just giving God the silent treatment, angry because He had not only allowed this horrible event to happen but seemed to have directed it.
Whatever the reason, Hagar did not pray. In fact, it’s hard to detect any evidence of faith in her actions: “When the water in the skin was gone, she put the boy under one of the bushes. Then she went off and sat down nearby, about a bowshot away, for she thought, ‘I cannot watch the boy die.’ “3 Die? Die? I want to say, Hagar, snap out of it. You’re feeling sorry for yourself again. Aren’t you forgetting something? Something very important. Didn’t God tell you He would increase your descendants?4 Doesn’t that imply that Ishmael will have children? Ishmael is not even married yet. Where is your faith, Hagar? Take your eyes off your circumstances and root your faith in God’s character and in God’s Word. But Hagar didn’t. Instead, she collapsed in despair.
Is that where you are, at the end of your rope? Have you thrown your wounded heart under a bush of bitterness or unforgiveness, self-pity or self-defense, regret or revenge, resentment or rationalization, fear or frustration? Don’t let your anger harden your heart or cause you to blame God for what has happened. Don’t let it prevent you from calling on God. Now.
I pray that the following story will encourage you to call out …
As a Muslim, Maria5 considers herself to be one of Hagar’s descendants. She found herself in a truly desperate situation, living with a husband who is a religious fanatic, and who beat her continually. Not only was she being abused, but her husband also abused their five-year-old son, beating him and burning him with cigarettes.
Maria prayed over and over to her god but received no answers. Finally, in sheer desperation, she cried out — God, where are you? Who are you? In her own words, this is what happened …
“I was weeping on the floor, crying out for help. All of a sudden, I saw a flash of bright light. It filled the room and was the most beautiful, calming, and assuring feeling I have ever had in my life. But then something even more remarkable happened — Jesus stood before me and spoke to me. His face was covered with shining sun, His hands reached out to me to invite me to His embrace, they were scarred from being pierced. He told me, ‘I am here. You are not forgotten. I died for you. This evil will pass — I will deliver you from it.’ Then He was gone. I have never felt so secure and loved in my life.
“I next met a believer who showed me from the Bible how to receive Jesus as my Savior and become His disciple. I was more than eager to commit my life to Him even though it might mean that I would be killed. It didn’t matter — I never want to be away from my Jesus! I am a Jesus follower now.”
The same Angel of the Lord who was standing by thousands of years ago for Hagar was standing by for Hagar’s “daughter.” And as thrilling as Maria’s testimony is … and as true … it dramatically underscores the fact that the Angel of the Lord is standing by for you and me as well. God hears our cries of desperation, and He will answer. If only we had eyes to see into the invisible realm, we would see Him standing there in the light of His glory, with arms outstretched, eyes tear-filled, reassuring us of His presence and His love and His peace and His power to save.
In her misery, Hagar may have blamed everyone else for what had happened. Yet at this critical moment in her life, it really didn’t matter anymore who was to blame for her hopeless and helpless circumstances. It didn’t matter if it was Pharaoh’s fault for giving her to Abraham and Sarah, or Abraham and Sarah’s fault for taking her out of Egypt, or Sarah’s fault for giving Hagar to Abraham, or Abraham’s fault for sleeping with her, or her own fault for arrogantly despising Sarah, or Ishmael’s fault for persecuting Isaac. There was enough blame to go around. The only thing that mattered now was that Hagar could not take any more of the desert, the heat, the thirst, the fear, the sound of Ishmael’s cries. She could not take any more of the consequences. She had had it. But still, she did not look up.
Did she suffer from delusion? Abraham is not an authentic man of faith. He is as wretched as any pagan back in Egypt.
Did she claim self-defense? If God had all the facts straight,
He would be on my side.
Did she indulge in self-pity? What did I ever do to deserve this?
Did she wallow in resentment? Why should I be held responsible for Ishmael’s behavior? Everybody knows teenagers do and say things they shouldn’t.
Did she experience remorse? If only I had been a better mother and kept a closer eye on Ishmael, he wouldn’t have gotten into trouble.
Did she fear the worst? Because of my sin and failure, will my child never have a future? Will he die in his lost condition because I can’t find my way? Have I lost God’s blessing and caused my son to miss His blessing too?
I imagine Hagar in a posture of absolute grief and desperation — hunched over with her head between her knees and her hands wrapped over her head, sobbing, rocking back and forth on her heels. Meanwhile, Ishmael, barely shaded under one of the few scrub bushes that dotted the barren landscape, was literally dying of thirst. Perhaps he had been so pampered and spoiled in Abraham’s home that he had never developed survival skills or learned to take the initiative. So he curled up in what I assume was a hopeless fetal position, echoing his mother’s helplessness and hopelessness, and cried his eyes out. Because Hagar had lost her way, he seemed to be convinced that they were both going to die.
Yet looking on from heaven was One who was standing by. With infinite tenderness and compassion, His eyes never left Hagar and Ishmael. His ears were attentive, listening for the slightest cry for His help. How long would they persist in their misery? How far down would they have to go before they looked up? God seemed to be patiently waiting to hear their call.
The Old Testament story of Jonah provides another dramatic Biblical example of God’s intervention when He was called. It took place approximately one thousand years after Hagar. Jonah was a prophet commanded by God to deliver a message to Nineveh, the capital city of Israel’s worst enemy, Assyria. Instead of obeying, Jonah bought passage on a boat headed for Tarshish, which was in the exact opposite direction from where God had told him to go. Jonah ran from God. But as we have already seen in Hagar’s life, that’s impossible. No one can outrun God.
Almost as soon as Jonah set out to sea, a great storm arose. When the ship he was traveling on was swamped, he admitted to the sailors that he was running from his God. To save themselves and their ship, they threw him overboard. Here is where the story gets really interesting. Jonah ended up in the belly of a great fish, which swallowed him as soon as he hit the water. I can’t even imagine what that must have been like! To find himself in the slimy jaws of a great fish, sucked in by a huge whirlpool that carried him like a tiny leaf on churning sea foam, surrounded by smaller fish and debris, and then to feel the compression of the fish’s stomach as the gastric juices began to digest him! Surely, he had hit rock bottom. There was no place lower on the entire planet than the belly of that fish. But it was from those very depths that he finally looked up and cried out for God’s help:
In my distress I called to the LORD,
and he answered me.
From the depths of the grave I called for help,
and you listened to my cry.
You hurled me into the deep,
into the very heart of the s
eas,
and the currents swirled about me;
all your waves and breakers
swept over me.
I said, “I have been banished
from your sight;
yet I will look again
toward your holy temple.”
The engulfing waters threatened me,
the deep surrounded me;
seaweed was wrapped around my head.
To the roots of the mountains I sank down;
the earth beneath barred me in forever.
But you brought my life up from the pit,
O LORD my God.
When my life was ebbing away,
I remembered you, LORD,
and my prayer rose to you.6
Jonah had God’s undivided attention. He was standing by when Jonah prayed. And He answered — immediately. He caused the fish literally to vomit Jonah onto dry land. God rescued Jonah, but He didn’t release him from his divine assignment. God held firm to His original command, sending Jonah straight to Nineveh. And Jonah, newly recommitted to the will of God, went and preached. As a result, the entire city of Nineveh, from the king on down to the common people in the streets, repented of sin and submitted themselves to God.
One thousand years after Jonah, we see this dynamic still clearly at work in Jesus’ relationship with his disciples. They were straining against the oars of their boat during a wind storm on the Sea of Galilee. The Bible tells us that when Jesus walked toward them, “He was about to pass by them.” He did not step into their boat and calm the sea until they cried out to Him.7
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