God has great love far beyond the comprehension of mankind, for all humanity whom He has created in His image. By the infinite power He possesses, He sees the billions of people who cover the face of the earth and is concerned about every one. The “God of all comfort” is concerned with you and the problems you are facing (2 Cor. 1:3-4; 1 Tim. 2:4). Sometimes, though, we question the closeness of God to us in our lives. Especially when times seem to be more difficult and the result of a situation may be unclear. I once heard, “if you find yourself further away from God than you would like to be, ask yourself who moved.”The nearness and concern of the Lord is well seen in the account of Hagar. God had promised Abraham: “I will make you a great nation and I will bless you” (Gen. 12:2; cf. 15:5). That blessing would eventually come through the son that God had promised to Abraham (Gen. 22:18). It had been ten years since Abraham entered Canaan and first received this promise. Abraham’s wife Sarah, who was without child, became impatient and assembled a scheme to fulfill God’s promise - she gave her Egyptian handmaiden Hagar to her husband Abraham to bear a child (Gen. 16:1-4). Sarah’s plan backfired, for God had a different plan in which Sarah herself would bear the son of promise, Isaac. Hagar became pregnant like they had intended, but there arose hostility and jealousy between the two women. Sarah mistreated Hagar, who in turn ran away from her mistress. God, who was concerned with even a powerless and abused handmaid, sent His angel to bring comfort to Hagar. We read: “The she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, You are the God who sees; for she said, Have I also here seen Him who sees me?” (Gen. 16:13). What powerful words Hagar used to describe the nearness of the wonderful God we serve. If God was concerned about Hagar, certainly He is concerned about you. “Cast all your cares on Him because He cares for you” (1 Pet. 5:7). Aren't you grateful to serve a God who sees what you cannot see?
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