"What now, God?" moments

Have you ever had a "What now, God?" moment?

I have.

And most people I know have faced at least one--sometimes they happen when something unexpected occurs--or on the flip side, when something you do expect doesn't. So what exactly should we do in the "What now?" moments?

On Friday, I was reading about a woman in the Bible named Hagar with a pretty serious moment like this. Hagar was a servant whose master, Abraham, couldn't have children with his wife (even though God promised he would be the father of nations). So his wife told him in effect, "Sleep with Hagar--maybe she'll give you a child." And it happened--but not the way God intended.

As always, God came through on His promise and Abraham and his wife had a child--the Plan A promised child. And Abraham's wife got nervous,so she kicked Hagar and her son to the curb (okay, the desert to be exact).

This was definitely Hagar's "What now, God?" moment. I'm sure she felt abandoned. As a servant, she probably didn't have much choice in the circumstances that led her to the desert--she was in a desperate situation.

But some things about Hagar's story caught my attention, so I thought I'd share a bit of it with you:

She wandered off into the desert of Beersheba.
When the water was gone, she left the child under a shrub and went off, fifty yards or so.

She said, "I can't watch my son die."

As she sat, she broke into sobs.

Meanwhile, God heard the boy crying.

The angel of God called from Heaven to Hagar, "What's wrong, Hagar? Don't be afraid.

God has heard the boy and knows the fix he's in.

Up now; go get the boy. Hold him tight. I'm going to make of him a great nation."

Just then God opened her eyes.

She looked.

She saw a well of water.

She went to it and filled her canteen and gave the boy a long, cool drink.

God was on the boy's side as he grew up.
(Genesis 21:15-19 - The Message)

Even though she may have felt deserted, desperate and alone, God was with Hagar in her "What now?" moment. God cared about what was wrong in her life and encouraged her to let go of her fear. But the words that are repeated stand out to me--"God heard." In our moments of confusion or sadness, God hears us.

The other thing I noticed? An answer to Hagar's prayers was right in front of her face--she just had to look for it.

I think sometimes we have expectations for exactly how and when God will answer our prayers--and those expectations drive how we look at our situations. Sometimes we just have to get a fresh perspective and look at things in a new way. Because in the "What now?" moments, God is always there. We just have to trust He's listening and have the faith to look for His answers.