The Mother’s Well: Help for Weary Mothers and Hurting Children
And as she sat there nearby, she began to sob.
God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid; God has heard the boy crying as he lies there. Lift the boy up and take him by the hand…’
Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. So she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink. God was with the boy as he grew up. (Genesis 21:16-20, NIV)
There is a time in many mothers’ lives when, like Hagar, they “sit nearby”, a feeling of helplessness overwhelming them as they watch their children suffer.
On her own, Hagar was unable to help her child. She was alone in the desert and had no provisions left to sustain her son. She sobbed desperately into her dry, dusty hands.
God heard the boy crying.
The King James Version says it like this: “fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is.” God meets our children where they are. They do not have to come up to some standard of spiritual behavior to be heard by the Lord. He hears and sees them as they are, and He comes to them.
How often we agonize over their spiritual state, wondering if they will follow the path of faith. We watch in dismay as they seem to choose foolishness over wisdom. And we cry out to God, our faces in our hands.
What is not directly stated in this passage is that God also heard Hagar’s cry. As she sobbed the cry of all broken mothers, she, too, was heard and answered by God.
God not only hears the cry of the boy and the girl, He hears the cry of the mother. And He comes to answer both.
He leans near and addresses the center of us: our fear. “What is the matter? Do not be afraid.” Then with tender grace, His instruction comes. “Lift the boy up and take him by the hand…”
How hard this admonition can be for the weary mother.
To take one by the hand implies intimacy and help. I loan my strength to the one who is weak, the one who needs reassurance, companionship, a tug to keep going. I grip her hand in mine and promise not to let go.
Then the Lord opened the eyes of Hagar and she saw a well.
God knew Hagar had no more to give. He provided what she could not. From that well, both she and her son were refreshed and strengthened to walk through the desert and into their circumstances. They learned together that God rescues, provides, and guides.
The drink from the mothers’ well saves both us and our children from despair and strengthens us to go into the future where God has promised to take care of us.
These are simple truths for mothers and children. The task of motherhood reaches critical junctures where help beyond one’s self is needed. We cannot see the well of the Lord, and in our despair, we nearly give up hope. Helpless we lie alongside our child at the mercy of God, weeping.
God was with the boy as he grew up (v.20).
He will be with our children also. Trust him today.
Lord, lead me to the well I cannot see. Help me take my child’s hand and trust You. Amen.
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