God Opened Her Eyes

"e;Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water."e; (Genesis 21:19)Hagar was an Egyptian slave in Abram's household. She was given to her master to bear a child, treated harshly, and ran into the desert while pregnant, until the angel of the LORD found her by a spring and she named Him "e;the God who sees me."e; Years later she was sent away with her teenage son, a loaf of bread, and a skin of water. When the water was gone, she set the boy under a bush and sat down a bowshot away so she would not have to watch him die. God heard the boy, told her to lift him up and take him by the hand, and opened her eyes to a well.God Opened Her Eyes is a 30-day devotional through the story of Hagar for single mothers, and for the friends, families, and churches who stand beside them. Along the way you'll follow Mallory, a 32-year-old nursing assistant on night shift in a small Kentucky town who had her son, Colby, at eighteen, and Dessa, a 73-year-old widow who has run the town laundromat since 1983 and raised two children alone after her husband left. When one bad weekend at his father's house sends Colby home for good, their Saturday-morning conversations over bad coffee and folding tables carry them through a broken transmission, a school counselor, a child support case across state lines, a boy with a bow, a grandfather's funeral, and help that was nearby all along.What you'll read:- By a Spring in the Desert: running away, the angel's question, "e;return and submit,"e; and the God who sees me.- O That Ishmael Might Live: a father who names the boy, Abraham's prayer for his son, the covenant day, and the God who upholds all who fall.- Expel the Slave Woman: the feast, a father's distress, bread and a skin of water, the woman who would not stop asking, and the widow who wanted justice.- A Bowshot Away: the empty water skin, "e;I cannot bear to watch,"e; God hearing the boy where he lies, and the poor and needy seeking water.- Take Him by the Hand: get up and lift up the boy, the well, the widow's jar of oil, Lois and Eunice, and comfort like a mother's.- God Was with the Boy: a great archer, a wife from Egypt, two brothers at their father's grave, the account of Ishmael, and a tent made larger.Inside the book:- 30 days in six parts. Every day includes a passage from the Berean Standard Bible, a Mentor and Student conversation, a reflection, a practice, a one-line "e;At the Well,"e; a prayer, and three journal questions with room to write- Honest about Hagar's hard story: the book never tells a reader to stay where she is being abused, and it never treats a child as worth less because of how he came into the world- Back matter: a practical guide (U.S. crisis, domestic violence, and child abuse hotlines, safety at home, child support, 211, SNAP, WIC, Medicaid and CHIP, a simple monthly plan, planning as the household's only adult, and your own health), a chapter for friends, family, and churches, background on Hagar's world, a six-session group guide (may be photocopied for your group), and a Scripture indexWho it's for:- Single mothers, whether never married, divorced, widowed, or left, raising a baby or a teenager- Grandmothers, aunts, and single fathers raising children on their own- Friends, pastors, and churches who want to stand beside a mother on her own- Moms' groups, women's Bible studies, and church small groupsAbout 15-20 minutes a day.Mallory, Dessa, and everyone in Sumac Springs are invented characters. This is a devotional, not legal, financial, or medical advice; it includes safety and crisis information (911, 988, and the National Domestic Violence Hotline in the U.S.). Written with the assistance of AI writing tools, under the author's direction. Scripture quotations are from the Berean Standard Bible (public domain). Every Scripture quotation was checked word for word against its source.