I was reminded this morning just how dry we can get if we wander away from the well. The final months of last year were very different and I didn’t spend as much time with the Lord as I should have, and it still shows.
When pregnant Hagar was mistreated by her mistress, Sarai, after being given to Abram to bear a child, she ran away into the desert. There she sat down by a spring, a well. And there the Lord found her. He gave her instructions to return to Abram and Sarai, telling her that she would give birth to a son and his name would be Ishmael. When the Lord left, Hagar “called the Lord who spoke to her: The God Who Sees, for she said, ‘In this place, have I actually seen the One who sees me.’ That is why she named the spring, ‘A Well of the Living One Who Sees Me.’ It is located between Kadesh and Bered. [Gen 16:13-14 HCSB]
Beer Lahai Roi means “the well of him that lives and sees me,” or, as some render it, “the well of the vision of life.”
Later in Genesis we read that it was not Hagar’s son who ended up dwelling at Beer Lahai Roi, it was actually Abraham’s and Sarah’s son, Isaac. “After Abraham’s death, God blessed his son Isaac, who lived near Beer-lahai-roi.” [Gen 25:11 HCSB]
Isn’t it interesting that Hagar (who we know from Galatians represents the law) visited the well, Beer Lahai Roi, in her time of desperate need, but it was Isaac (the son of promise) who ended up living by the well?
Too often we are like Hagar, we visit the well of God when we are in trouble and need help fast, when we really should be living by the well as Isaac did, drawing living water daily.
Ivan Parker sings a song that I have always liked, “Close to the Well.” Take a moment to listen to it, I’ve provided the YouTube link below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOl4tmqhM08&index=68&list=PLhlFlu7EQ7RjjCsGaVSRB916hkGi4NEh3
