The God Who Hears

For as long as I can remember, I have been taught that God is a God who hears. He hears the cry of His people, and there are many passages that demonstrate this. We see a God who hears the cry of His people while they are enslaved in Egypt. He hears the cry of Zechariah and Elizabeth who want a child and, at the very end of time, we are promised He will hear the cry of His martyred saints (Rev. 5:8).

While I could go to any one of these verses and talk about our God who hears, I want to turn to Genesis 16. In these verses we have an interesting story of how our God seems to not be hearing the cries of His servants Abram and Sarai. Instead of waiting for the Lord to do His work, Sarai takes matters into her own hands and gives her Egyptian slave Hagar to Abram. Sarai’s plan is to give Abram a son through this slave. While most people note this half of the story and how Abram and Sarai have no faith in the promises of God, I want to focus on what happens next.

Once Hagar has conceived a child, she looks at Sarai with contempt. Sarai sees this, and then Sarai blames Abram, and Abram says that Sarai can do what she wants with Hagar, and Sarai begins to treat Hagar badly. This is when the story, in my mind, gets interesting. Hagar begins to run away from Sarai.

It is when Hagar is alone in the desert that she meets with God. The first thing that He says to her is “where have you come from and where are you going?” (Gen. 16:8) He knows the answer to this, for our God is an all knowing God, but He wants to hear her. He wants to connect with His creation, and instead of telling her exactly what to do, He listens to her story.

For a moment, let’s park ourselves in the narrative and reflect. I think this has profound implications for how the Church is to respond to those on the margins, including LGBTQ+ people. I have heard stories of how pastors and Christians, once they find out that someone identifies LGBTQ+, begin to list off some of the ‘clobber passage’ which say why being gay is a sin or why LGBTQ+ people don’t belong in the Kingdom. Instead of yelling about purity or telling someone they are going to hell, why don’t we stop and listen. Listen to the stories of pain and heartache. Like God, we are called to be a people who hear; to truly hear the stories of ‘the Other.’ It is of utmost importance that instead of spouting off theology, or negating someones experience, that we take a step back and listen. Listen fully and actively to people stories.

Now we’ll return to Hagar and the Lord. Verses 9-12 tell us how God responds. Instead of rebuking Hagar, or dismissing her because she is part of ‘the Other’ (she is an Egyptian slave after all), He reassures her that she is in His hands. In fact, God promises to Hagar what He promises to Abram. That her son, Ishmael, will be the beginning of a multitude of offspring. (v. 10) This is interesting because often when we share this story we neglect this promise. The promise that God has a plan for this child. A child born in a polygamous, and by our standards adulterous, relationship. We usually focus on the story of Isaac and eventually the nation of Israel, but we forget that the people of Ishmael are also part of God’s promise. Granted, in verse 12 it doesn’t seem like it will always be the easiest for the line of Ishmael, but God promises a life for him. The story ends with Hagar naming the well because God has seen her. She then goes back to Abram and Sarai as the Lord directed her to do so. (v. 9)

Now, we’ll stop at this point and reflect. Reflect on the fact that God made a promise with a woman who is very much an ‘Other.’ Hagar is an Egyptian, and a slave. She is someone who has a very specific role in the family of Abram and Sarai. She is further ‘Other-ed’ by Sarai and the contempt they have for one another. This contempt leads to Hagar running away from this community. In my experience, this is often what has happened to LGBTQ+ people of faith. They are on the margins of the Church, and if they step out of line, or don’t adhere to certain things within the Church community, they are furthered ‘Other-ed’ and I have seen many of them leave. And for good reason. When you live in a community that is constantly talking about you and your community as ‘sin' and how these people are just an issue to deal with, it is an abrasive (and often can be abusive) environment to continue to commune in. We can’t hold those who are LGBTQ+ and leave the Church at fault. Often we think that if only they had a strong enough faith they could have lasted. This is a myth. This is a toxic environment, an environment that Hagar knew all too well. What the Church needs to do is realize that they have set up this toxic environment and they have a responsibility—if they truly want to welcome LGBTQ+ people—to change that environment.

In order to do this, pastors and those in church leadership, need to actively ask these hard questions of how we can actively change our church culture to welcome the LGBTQ+ community. This has been a question ignored for too long and many have suffered and died because of it. Another thing the Church has to do is allow LGBTQ+ voices to be heard. Often, leadership asks for these voices or experiences but then they speak on behalf of LGBTQ+ Christians and hijack their voice or negate the voice. What should happen is for church leadership and denominations to create a platform for LGBTQ+ Christians to share from. Let them share their own stories. This is true ally-ship.

Now, a word for LGBTQ+ Christians. If you are have never left a church community because you have felt it was your duty and a responsible Christian to ‘power through’ in a toxic environment, I want to let you know that it is okay to step back and breathe. To breathe and allow God to hear your cries of agony. It is okay. You will be okay. For those who have left the church because of its toxicity I want to assure you that God has heard your cries, and His Spirit is on the move. He is creating pockets of inclusion and affirmation within the Church so that this toxic culture will change. Secondly, I want to urge you, if you haven’t already done so, to try and find a community that you can be a part of. Throughout Scripture the theme of community is important, and the Church is called the body of Christ for a reason. In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul talks about how each of us is a crucial member of the body and when we don’t engage in these gifts the body isn’t complete. You, as an LGBTQ+ person, have gifts and abilities that the Church needs. I am not saying to rush into any community, but I do want to urge you to try and find a community where you are accepted for who you are and where your gifts can be used for God’s glory. If you need help finding a community like this, please contact me and I will help you find a place where you will belong—body and soul.

Both LGBTQ+ Christians and cisgendered heterosexual Christians are called to come into the Kingdom and worship the God of creation together. We need to lay down our own preconceived notions of one another and listen. Our God is a God who hears the cries of all His beloved children. Let us hear and be heard by each other, and by the God of the universe.