10th March 2026

Hagar was a marginalised person in her society. She was a foreigner, a servant woman, and a single mother in crisis. Because of tension in Abraham’s household, Hagar had been sent away with her son Ishmael. They wandered in the wilderness near Beersheba, when eventually their water ran out, their strength was gone, and fear took over. Hagar placed her child under a bush and stepped away, unable to watch him suffer (Genesis 21:15-16). Hagar was alone, vulnerable and desperate, and it is exactly in this, her lowest moment, that God intervened. Sometimes we wonder why God waits for the situation to become desperate and humanly impossible to resolve before he intervenes. The reason is that he wants us to learn to rely on and trust in his strength alone. So often grace flows when we have reached the end of our own striving.

Despite being outside the covenant lineage, Hagar receives compassion from God: he saw her plight, heard her cry, and provided for her by opening her eyes to the nearby well. This is deeply encouraging for us because in our wilderness seasons nothing in our lives escapes God’s notice: he hears our prayers, sees our tears, and will provide what we need.

An interesting aspect to this story is that God didn’t create the well at the moment of Hagar’s need – he revealed it. This shows God’s total control in our moments of crisis. His provision existed before the crisis peaked. He had already planned ahead, and the answer preceded the desperation. Sometimes the miracle is not a new provision, it is new sight, a greater vision, or deeper understanding. This means that spiritual blindness can hide God’s provision; like Hagar we need to have our eyes opened. Stress, fear, and discouragement can blind us to God’s blessings, and to his ongoing presence. When God opens our spiritual eyes, hope replaces panic; gratitude replaces despair, and faith replaces fear. 

In the desert, water means survival – there is no life without it. However, this story points to a deeper spiritual truth: Jesus says, ‘…the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life’ (John 4:14). God not only provides for our physical needs but, more importantly, our spiritual ones. Ultimately, God’s greatest provision is himself in Jesus. He alone is the source of eternal life.

So, if you are feeling like Hagar today, remember that God still meets people in deserts. If you’re tired, God gives strength; if you’re worried, God provides peace; if you feel unseen, God notices you; if you feel empty, God still provides and still opens eyes to see it. Provision may not always come how we expect, but it comes according to God’s wisdom and timing – and the well he has provided may be closer than you realise.

Local congregation:
Grace Communion West Hampstead 
Sidings Community Centre
150 Brassey Road
West Hampstead
London
NW6 2BA

Meeting time:
Sunday 12.30 pm

Local congregational contact:
Gordon Brown
gordon.brown@gracecom.church

Word of Life contact:  
wordoflife@gracecom.church