Over four thousand years ago, a young woman named Hagar lay pregnant, alone and dying in the desert. Imagine the terror and heartbreak of being with child and knowing the life inside would never take its first breath.

So what happened in the darkest moment of Hagar’s life?

God saw her.

Now the Angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, by the spring on the way to Shur. And He said, “Hagar, Sarai’s maid, where have you come from, and where are you going?” Genesis 16:7-8 (NKJV)

Where Have You Come From and Where Are You Going? -@kdeniseholmberg Share on X

What a strange thing to emanate from the God who knows everything. He already knew the answers, so why ask the questions? What did it mean to Hagar?

What did it mean to me as I explored the Word of God?

The first statement seemed to probe the past. Where have you come from suggests an earlier time frame, deeper than where Hagar had been yesterday. Deeper than where I had been.

Where are you going initiated a look into the future. What did Hagar think that looked like for her? What did the future look like for me? I prayed on both inquiries for days because, quite frankly, they confused me.

And then I understood.

The answer came from the moment flanked by thinking about the past and planning the future. Situated between the two questions, we find Hagar present with God. -@kdeniseholmberg Share on X

Her mind had been too busy wallowing in her broken past and working on her exit strategy to notice God was with her. Which resulted in her believing she was alone, desperate and dying.

But then he stood beside her in the heat of the day and Hagar instantly realized she was present in God’s presence. And in that moment, alone and present with God, she changed forever.

It’s important to note that Hagar’s situation did not change. God told her to go back to where she had come from. I’ll look closer at that next month. But what’s important now is that she obeyed and returned to her tribe a new woman from the inside out.

We look back and see where God was in our past. We look forward and worry about our future. But God is with us right here, right now, and we can miss that. ~Beth Reece

Take time to be still and present with the Lord. It’s in those quiet moments that, like Hagar four-thousand years ago, you remember he sees you and you are not alone.

In the present moment, contemplate this:

Be still and know that I am God. Psalm 46:10 (NKJV)

Be still and know that I am.

Be still and know.

Be still.

Be.

Blessings,

KD Holmberg

KD Holmberg contributes to christianfictionauthors.com on the 28th of each month. Her debut novel THE EGYPTIAN PRINCESS, A Story of Hagar, will be released July 1, 2021 by Mountain Brook Ink.

THE EGYPTIAN PRINCESS is an award-winning manuscript about a young woman named Hagar who found herself embroiled in a fateful, contentious love triangle that changed the course of human history. It is told from the Hebrew and Arabic tradition that Hagar was the daughter of the king of Egypt; making her a princess before she became a handmaid in the first Hebrew tribe.

KD Holmberg is a retired flight attendant who has lived and traveled all over the globe. She is the married mother of five, and has eight extraordinary grandchildren. She and her husband, Keith, love to travel and golf, and live in the foothills of the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains.

Comments (10)

  1. Brittney

    Thanks KD! I think especially in these days it’s important to be still and remember God always has a plan for us!

    • KD Holmberg

      Yes! This is a great time to remember God sees us and has a plan. Thank you for your comment.

  2. Orit McConnell

    I just love this reminder so much! These times are hard and the anxiety is real, but you’re right, God is here with me also… Even though the situation hasn’t changed in the world and the pandemic goes on, He is here now with us. I think Christians often glaze right over the God in Hagar’s story, how awesome to see that her story is bring told by a Christian perspective! Looking forward to The Egyptian Princess!

    • KD Holmberg

      Thank you for your thoughtful insights, Orit, and your interest in Hagar. Blessings!

  3. Beautiful! Your writing took me there and kept my interest, but it wasn’t until the very end that this story transformed me. To “be” is sometimes the hardest place to be! And the very best place also!! Thank you for this, Denise! Blessings <3

    • KD Holmberg

      Wow. What a blessing your words are to me. Thank you for taking the time to comment.

  4. Diane

    Will your book be available for presale on Amazon?

    • KD Holmberg

      I hope so! You can keep up to date on its release at: kdholmberg.com. Thank you for your interest.

  5. This is so easy to miss, isn’t it? It is only here and now that we can experience God. I can easily get caught up in the things that happened to me in the past: what someone said or how I was ignored or hurt!. Or I can allow anxiety and worry to rob me of my hope for the future (especially in light of the coronavirus). It is only here and now that I can find God, Thank you for pointing out that God sees Hagar first! I wonder what that would be like to have the eyes of God on you and not realize it? HA! I have a feeling that is true of me everyday. OH Lord Open my eyes so that I may see You looking at me right here, right now. Thank you KD for this beautiful meditation.

    • KD Holmberg

      Thank you, Jeanie, for your incredible insight and lovely prayer. We do need to slow down and see Him looking at us, as He does, right here, right now.
      Beautiful to think about. Blessings!

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