So Sarah said to Abraham, “Drive out this slave with her son, for the son of this slave will not be a coheir with my son Isaac!” Early in the morning Abraham got up, took bread and a waterskin, put them on Hagar’s shoulders, and sent her and the boy away. She left and wandered in the Wilderness of Beer-sheba. When the water in the skin was gone, she left the boy under one of the bushes. Then she went and sat down nearby, about a bowshot away, for she said, “I can’t bear to watch the boy die!” So as she sat nearby, she wept loudly. God heard the voice of the boy, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What’s wrong, Hagar? Don’t be afraid, for God has heard the voice of the boy from the place where he is. Get up, help the boy up, and support him, for I will make him a great nation.” Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. So she went and filled the waterskin and gave the boy a drink. Genesis 21:10, 14-18
I love the Lord because He has heard my appeal for mercy. Because He has turned His ear to me, I will call out to Him as long as I live. Psalm 116:1-2
My words…
Praise
All praise to You, God, who hears the voice of a dying boy over the anguished weeping of his mother. No sound escapes Your hearing, no creature too insignificant to be heard. I don’t know what Ishmael prayed that prompted You to send Your angel to rescue him, but I love that You did. You hear my “proper” prayers spoken aloud with a steady voice. You hear my whisper prayers, my shouting prayers, and my crying prayers. You hear unspoken prayers: petitions, intercessions, and praise formed deep in my spirit and raised to You in silence. I never worry You cannot hear me.
Prayer for me
I pray earnestly for wisdom. A wise person knows what words and sounds to bring before Your ears.
Forgive me
Lord, there have been and will be times I fear You do not hear me when I pray. It’s a faith issue, I know. A loving Father always listens to His daughter. When I question whether You hear me, I doubt the strength of Your love for me. So, I ask for Your forgiveness.
Thank You
Thank You for hearing me and sending me confirmations. I am not even surprised by them any longer!
More praise
You hear the prayers of children and their weeping mothers, You hear every word of worship offered by angels and humans; You hear confessions and vows and eulogies. And You hear the conspiracies of demons and the vulgarity of humankind. You hear the flutter of hummingbirds wings and the sound of fur growing on a baby rabbit. But most importantly to me, You know the sound of my voice.
