Life Lessons From Hagar: Women In The Bible Series

Life Lessons From Hagar: Women In The Bible Series

Today we are looking at another woman in the Bible, called Hagar, to continue our Women in the Bible Series! I ideally want to go through all of the women in the Bible in order of when they appear (in terms of genealogy), but there isn’t always enough information about certain women mentioned in the Bible. This is why I have decided to look at the life lessons from Hagar next.

Who is Hagar?

The story of Hagar comes from Genesis 16; 21:1-21, and was a servant to Abraham and Sarah. Because Sarah couldn’t have children at this point in time, she made Hagar have sex with Abraham, and thus, became pregnant with his first-born son, Ishmael. Hagar began to despise Sarah and ended up fleeing into the wilderness. An angel of the Lord came to her and said that she should return to Sarah and submit to her. The angel also said that God will multiply her seed for she was pregnant with Ishmael. God saw her, and came to her. He comforted her and gave her the right advice on what to do at this point (Genesis 16).

God later opened up Sarah’s womb and was able to give her the gift of bearing her own son, Isaac (Genesis 21:1-8). Through this, Hagar and her son became a threat to Sarah because Ishmael had the first-born rights of inheritance. Sarah didn’t like this because she wanted Isaac to have it all. So, Hagar was cast out; Abraham gave Hagar a fraction of what her and Ishmael were rightfully entitled to, and then decided to wander in the wilderness of Beersheba.

What Happens to Hagar?

Hagar found herself alone in the desert near a spring. She was running out of food and water for both herself and her son and could see her son struggling, so she started crying. God heard her and came to her and said do not be afraid, I have heard your son struggling. He opened up Hagar’s eyes and got her to see the well of water where she was able to get more water for her son. He also told Hagar that He would make Ishmael a great nation (Genesis 21:17-21). Later on, Ishmael grew up, and dwelt in the wilderness of Pa’ran with his mother.

What are the Life Lessons from Hagar?

1. God is Always There For Us

No matter what we are going through or what life throws at us, God will always be there for us. He will protect us and look after us. All you have to do is put your faith and trust in Him alone. 

“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness” – Isaiah 41:10

2. God Will Provide For Us

When Hagar ran into the wilderness, she must have felt scared and helpless. Her son was crying out because he was hungry and she couldn’t provide for him. God sees us. He counts our tears. He will always provide for us. Turn to Him and ask in prayer what it is that you need.

“But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus” – Philippians 4:19

3. God’s Ways are Better than Our Ways

God created each and every one of us with a plan and purpose for our lives. For majority of us, our lives do not pan out as perfectly as God wanted them to be. We fall off the path, into old ways, and lose focus on what is most important: God and His Will for our lives. We need to focus on Him first. 

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts” – Isaiah 55:8-9

4.  God Will Comfort Us

Hagar must have felt distraught. She was made an outcast by Sarah and had to flee her home because of all that transpired. But the beauty in this story is that even if we as Christians are deemed as outcasts, God will comfort us. Even in the darkest times, with everything that we face, God will be there for us. He loves us and cares for us. 

“Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God” – 2 Corithians 1:3-4

5. God is Faithful

Hagar was put in the position to sleep with Abraham because of Abraham and Sarah’s lack of faith (as Sarah was barren at the time). Then she was treated as an outcast once Sarah was able to conceive and had Isaac.

The story of Hagar provides us a greater understanding for God’s faithfulness in His promises to others (when Abraham and Sarah were blessed with Isaac), whilst also showing His love towards those who were outcasts.
God does not show favoritism to one person. His love and grace are unconditional towards those who have faith in Him.

“Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;” – Deuteronomy 7:9

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Overall Life Lessons from Hagar

The moral of this story is that if you or your children are struggling, God will come to you and help you out. Hagar was basically kicked out of her home where Abraham and Sarah were, and were hardly given anything to survive. Her son was struggling, and she broke down into tears, calling out for God to help her.

No matter what kind of hardships or trials we are facing, the struggles that our children may have also, we need to cry out to God to help us. We know that through the story of Hagar, our faith is the strongest and most powerful weapon that we have in order to survive. It is something that will always get us through these difficult/uncertain times.

Want to learn more about the story of Hagar? Check out my FREE Hagar Bible Study in my resources library. Gain FREE access here!