“And God heard the voice of the boy, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What troubles you, Hagar? Fear not, for God has heard the voice of the boy where he is…. Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. And she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink.” Genesis 21:17, 19
I wrestle with anxiety. I largely keep it buttoned up during the day, but it shows up in nightly teeth grinding. My greatest anxiety: our son lives three thousand miles away. We rarely see him. Despite my passionate prayers for God to change this situation, it appears permanent. This breaks my heart because we cannot enjoy the fun, confident adult my husband and I worked hard to raise—or his future children.
The truth is my anxiety is driven by missing out on the life of one of the people I love most. For you, maybe it’s concern for an aging parent or a wayward child or the longing felt over a distant friendship. Whatever the cause, when we cannot change a situation, fear often takes over.
In Genesis 21:14, Abraham sends Sarah’s servant and her son, Hagar and Ishmael, into the desert. When their water runs out, she leaves her son under a tree because she cannot bear to watch him die (v. 16).
Ishmael’s name means God hears. And God hears Ishmael crying. But He speaks to Hagar, promising, “‘I will make him into a great nation.’ Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water” (vv. 18–19).
The well is a short term fix. God’s full provision is His presence there, and His promise of future nationhood. God has a plan that extends beyond what she can see in her desert spot.
Years earlier, in her first desert experience, Hagar became the first person in Scripture to name God based on her experience. When He comes to her aid, she calls Him El Roi, the God who sees (Gen. 16:13).
In my desert spot, God is helping me to see what is there, not just what isn’t. These are my “wells” when anxiety blinds me: I have a great relationship with my son, which is why I miss him so much. He is healthy, happily married, and loves the life he leads. This “well water” is God’s sustaining grace for me right now.
God’s provision in our anxious situations often isn’t what we desperately want, but it is what sustains us. El Roi sees us. He provides enough for today and asks us to trust Him with a future we cannot control.
Today I’m choosing to see my “wells” not because the anxiety has vanished, but because El Roi sees me here. Ask El Roi to open your eyes to see His sustaining grace in your circumstances.
Prayer: El Roi, You see me in this desert place where anxiety grinds and fear takes over. Open my eyes to the wells already present, the sustaining grace I miss when I focus only on what I lack. I don’t ask You to remove my circumstances, but to help me see You in them. Give me trust for today and courage to release tomorrow into Your hands. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Want more?
Read Isaiah 43:1–2 slowly. God promises “I will be with you” in the waters, not “I will remove you from them.” Where can you identify His presence in your unchanged circumstances? What sustaining grace might anxiety be preventing you from seeing?
