How to Pray When Life is Hard

Do you ever wonder if God really sees you? When life doesn’t go according to plan and you find yourself in a wilderness not of your choosing, do you wonder if God is paying attention? If he even cares?

Found in the Desert Place

Hagar was a woman familiar with the desert places. She was a servant used and mistreated by those who tried to achieve God’s purposes through their own means, and in her pain, she ran. Her heart was heavy with sorrow over the injustices she had suffered and anxiety for what lie ahead. She must have felt completely alone, apart from the illegitimate child she carried.

But Hagar was not alone. Even in her lowest and loneliest place, she was never forgotten by God. How do we know?

1. God SAW her. (Genesis 16:7, 13, 14)
   
   The story of Hagar’s life might have caused her to believe she was insignificant to those around her, but she was not expendable to God. He pursued her and met her right there in the wilderness, beside a spring that would come to represent his attentiveness and love for her. She came to refer to him as “The God who sees.”
   
   
2. God ASKED her what was on her heart. (Genesis 16:8, 21:17)
   
   The first thing God did when he met with Hagar was to invite her to tell him all that was weighing on her heart. “What troubles you?,” he asked this daughter he cherished enough to follow into the desert. “Where have you come from, and where are you going?” Like a close friend, the Lord invited her to tell him not only what happened but how she was really doing, and what she longed for. He already knew, of course, but he wanted to hear it from her. He wanted her to discover that he was the safe place where she could unload all the burdens she had been carrying alone.
   
   
3. God HEARD her. (Genesis 21:17)
   
   When Hagar cried out, God heard her voice, and, later, the voice of her son. In fact, the Lord instructed Hagar to name the child Ishmael, which means “God hears,” so that neither of them would ever forget that God does not let the cries of his children go unanswered.
   
   
4. God SHOWED her what to do next. (Genesis 16: 9)
   
   Hagar was literally wandering in the desert. She was pregnant, about to become a mother for the first time without help or a home. Where would she go? She was in desperate need of guidance, and the Lord provided the direction she needed. After her initial flight into the wilderness, the Lord instructed Hagar to return to the household from which she came. This couldn’t have been easy, but through it God protected and provided for them, and Ishmael was able to grow up near his father, who loved him. A few years later, however, Hagar would find herself wandering in the wilderness once more, forced out by someone who let their own pain call the shots. This time the Lord would direct Hagar to stay and raise her son in the desert, under the Lord’s protection, and he helped them thrive there.
   
   
5. God PROVIDED for her needs. (Genesis 21:19)
   The Lord gave Hagar what she lacked physically. When she needed a home, God told her where to go. When she feared she and her child would die of thirst, he led her to a well. They were not always spared from walking through harsh environments, physically or emotionally, but the Lord always provided exactly what they needed.
   
   
6. God PROMISED good things to her. (Genesis 16: 10-12, 21:18)
   God had good plans for Hagar, and he spoke his precious promises over her every time she was about to lose hope. Though the story seemed to favor someone else- another woman and another son through whom the nations of the earth would be blessed- God’s goodness does not run out. He had promises of good things, and they were for her. She was chosen, too. God would take care of Hagar through her pregnancy. He would protect her and her son, and the Lord himself would be with that son as he grew up. Ishmael would be strong. He would be united with a part of his family he had never known. He would find a wife. And, like his half-brother, the Lord would make him into a great nation, with offspring too numerous to count.
   
   
7. God STAYED with her. (Genesis 16:13, 21:20)
   The Lord did not merely stop in from time to time. He stayed with Hagar and her son, looking after them the whole time. The Lord was with the child as he grew up, the Bible tells us. With astonishment and joy, Hagar declared, “Truly here I have seen him who looks after me.”
   

God sees you, too.

Maybe, like Hagar, you’ve been carrying the weight of heartache and worry. Perhaps you’ve been trying to outrun troubling circumstances only to find yourself feeling even more alone. But, friend, you are not alone.

If your story isn’t going how you hoped and it seems that all the blessings have been reserved for someone else, know this:

• God SEES you. He knows your pain, and it matters to him. You are not expendable to him.
  

• He INVITES you to pour out your heart to him. He wants you to lay all your burdens at his feet so that he can carry them for you. God worked in powerful ways in Hagar’s life when she responded to his invitation to tell him all that was on her heart, and he will do the same for you when you invite him into your circumstances.
  

• He HEARS you. God is attentive to the cries of your heart. Your prayers will not go unanswered.
  

• He will SHOW you which way to go. Jesus is the Good Shepherd. He does not leave his dear ones wandering aimlessly. He will guide you to where you need to be.
  

• He will PROVIDE for your needs. The road may not be easy, but when you entrust yourself to God’s care, you will never lack what you need to make it through.
  

• He will give you HOPE. God’s promises are not for someone else. They are for you. There is hope for you, even in the wilderness. God has good plans for your life, and he will bring them about. He always keeps his promises.
  

• He will STAY with you. No matter where you go, you do not go there alone. You can’t outrun God. He’s with you for the long haul. I don’t know about you, but for me, there’s no greater comfort in suffering than the promise of his presence.
  

““Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.””

Hebrews 13:5

An invitation to draw near…

No matter where you have been or where you’re going, God sees you right where you are, and he wants to walk the road with you. Will you pour out your heart to him today? If you’re not sure how to start, here is a free prayer guide to show you how pray when life is hard, along with reminders from Scripture of God’s promises for you.