Word Count: 770

Contact Jerry Ousley

God is About to Open Your Eyes

by Jerry Ousley  
7/24/2010 / Christian Living

It was getting late, near my bedtime. The phone rang. It was Debbie. At that time she was working third shift. "Jerry, can you look on the table and see if I left my wedding ring there?" Of course I would. With phone in hand I turned on the dining room light and began surveying the objects on the table. I couldn't see a ring anywhere. I knew she didn't want to lose her ring but sadly all I could say was, "Honey, I don't see it." We hung up but I continued to search to no avail.

The next morning, as has been my practice for years, I rose up early and got ready for the day before she got home from work. As I was in the kitchen with a dim light on I glanced into the dining room. Even though it was dark the dim light from the kitchen cast shadows and my eye caught an object on the table. It was her ring. It had been there all along but because of the bright dining room light it caused the ring to blend in with the paper it was sitting on and even though I was looking right at it while talking to her the evening before, because it was camouflaged I couldn't see it. It was right there right where she said it should be. Man, did I feel like a dummy when she arrived home from work and I showed her the ring. Of course she was glad that she hadn't lost it and I was glad too, but I just couldn't see the "forest for the trees!"

This incident reminds me of Hagar and Ishmael as found in Genesis 21. The young teenage boy had made fun of his half-brother, Isaac, on his weaning day. Of course Isaac, just a baby, knew nothing about it, but it had offended his mother, Sarah. She insisted that Hagar and the boy be cast from their camp. Abraham had grown to love Ishmael even though he had been the product of their attempt to help God fulfill His promise of a son. God spoke to Abraham and told him that it was okay; he was to send them away just as Sarah wanted. He did, and sorrowfully they headed for Egypt (because that's where Hagar was from).

Of course he had given them food and water for their journey but now the water was gone. The trip through the wilderness had been long and hard. It had been some time since they had drunk and Ishmael was near death. The Bible tells us that Hagar left him and walked about a bow-shot away and there poured her heart out to God. Strangely, the Bible also tells us that God heard Ishmael's cry, not hers. I'm not sure why that is, but that's what it says. Maybe it was because she was praying negatively, that God wouldn't let her witness the boy's death. Whatever the reason, we are told that God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. They both drank and were refreshed. Ishmael lived to become the ruler of a great nation.

Could it be that sometimes we, like I did when it came to the ring, or a much more serious case like with the well, are blinded to the answer we need from the Lord? We are in desperate need. We may be near death like Ishmael. We need a drink from the well of God. It may seem like He has completely forsaken us. It may feel like He's a million miles away. Why can't He see the predicament I'm in? Why doesn't He answer my cry for help?

Hagar needed to know that she could depend upon God. We aren't told exactly how she felt when she was "kicked out" from the camp of Abraham and Sarah, but I can imagine that she felt forsaken, angry, afraid, confused, and experienced a host of other emotions. She had seen the worship of God by Abraham and Sarah and had come to feel comfortable with their invisible, unknown God. Maybe she had even worshipped Him herself. So why, in this moment of complete desperation, in this time of death, would He ignore them?

Then it happened. God opened her eyes to see the obvious. The answer had been right there in front of them all along. What a relief! It could be the same with us. Our answer may be right at our fingertips if we'll just let God open our eyes. And He will, just open them and see!

Jerry D. Ousley is the author of ?Soul Challenge?, ?Soul Journey?, ?Ordeal?, ?The Spirit Bread Daily Devotional and his first novel ?The Shoe Tree.? Visit our website at spiritbread.com to download these and more completely free of charge.

Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com-CHRISTIAN WRITERS

If you died today, are you absolutely certain that you would go to heaven? You can be! Click here and TRUST JESUS NOW

Read more articles by Jerry Ousley

Like reading Christian Articles? Check out some more options. Read articles in Main Site Articles, Most Read Articles or our highly acclaimed Challenge Articles. Read Great New Release Christian Books for FREE in our Free Reads for Reviews Program. Or enter a keyword for a topic in the search box to search our articles.

Enter comments below. Due to spam, all hyperlinks posted in the comments are now immediately disabled by our system.

Please type the following word below:

Not readable? Change text.

The opinions expressed by authors do not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.

Hire a Christian Writer, Christian Writer Wanted, Christian Writer Needed, Christian Content Needed, Find a Christian Editor, Hire a Christian Editor, Christian Editor, Find a Christian Writer