Lift Up Your Eyes

It is in our moments of despair and heartbreak God is gracious to draw near to us and speak.  After finding the tomb empty at daybreak, despite receiving a message from an angel, Mary wept.  At that moment the risen Jesus Christ drew near to her and softly spoke her name.  Instantly she recognised Him.  Even in the Old Testament, God drew near to people who were gripped with sorrow.  One instance is when Hagar and her son Ishmael were sent out from Abraham with bread and a skin of water.  They wandered helplessly in the wilderness of Beersheba until the water was spent.  The boy was faint from thirst, and after placing him under a shrub Hagar believed he was going to die.  Her resources were spent, she was without guidance or direction, and all seemed hopeless and lost.  But with God there is always hope.

Genesis 21:16-19 reads, "Then she went and sat down across from him at a distance of about a bowshot; for she said to herself, "Let me not see the death of the boy." So she sat opposite him, and lifted her voice and wept. ¹⁷ And God heard the voice of the lad. Then the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said to her, "What ails you, Hagar? Fear not, for God has heard the voice of the lad where he is.¹⁸ Arise, lift up the lad and hold him with your hand, for I will make him a great nation." ¹⁹ Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. And she went and filled the skin with water, and gave the lad a drink."  When the lad cried out to God, God heard him from heaven.  The angel of God exhorted the sorrowing woman to fear not, to stand up, lift up the lad, and hold him.  God had plans for that boy she never could have dreamed at that desperate moment.

At that moment God opened the eyes of Hagar to see a well of water.  Notice that He did not cause the well to materialise or appear out of thin air:  the well of water was there the entire time!  What a picture!  The poor mother lamented her dying son and thought all was lost.  She had distanced herself from him in an attempt to avoid seeing him suffer and die.  Her weeping drowned out his voice to her ears, but God heard.  She wept bitter tears when a well of clean, good water was within sight from where she sat in despair!  God's provision was there, but she was unable to see it.  God in His grace opened her eyes to see the well of water, guided her to draw from the well, and gave her son a drink which saved his life.

I don't know what your need is, and even if I did I likely do not have the means in myself to meet it.  But I know God is a miraculous provider, the One who opens the eyes which cannot see, and is a Saviour to all who cry out to Him.  Dear friend, do not weep because you lack what God has already provided for you!  He has provided Himself, a Saviour called Jesus Christ who enables us to have new life through faith in Him.  Instead of shutting your eyes to your problems, lift up your eyes to God in faith and He will supply your needs.  Psalm 121:1-8 says, "I will lift up my eyes to the hills-- from whence comes my help? ² My help comes from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth. ³ He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber. ⁴ Behold, He who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. ⁵ The LORD is your keeper; the LORD is your shade at your right hand. ⁶ The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. ⁷ The LORD shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul. ⁸ The LORD shall preserve your going out and your coming in from this time forth, and even forevermore."