There's Purpose in the Wilderness | Hay Proposito en el Desierto | Pastor Kris Bojorquez

May 12, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Found by the Desert Spring

Hagar stumbled through cracked earth, pregnancy swelling beneath her slave’s tunic. Blisters formed on her feet as she fled Sarah’s anger. At the spring on the road to Shur – a place of desolation – the Angel of the Lord appeared. Not a random messenger, but God Himself in visible form. He called her by name: “Hagar, servant of Sarai.” For the first time, someone saw her as more than property. [20:36]

This desert encounter reveals God’s relentless pursuit. While Hagar thought she was running toward freedom, she was actually heading toward death in Shur’s waterless wastes. The God who numbers hairs on heads tracked this enslaved woman’s footsteps. He intervened not with condemnation, but with a redirecting command: “Return.”

Many of us run from painful relationships or shame, only to find ourselves in deeper wilderness. God meets you in your fleeing, not to scold but to reclaim. His pursuit continues even when your plans crumble. What desert path are you walking today where God might be waiting at the next spring?

“The angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, the spring on the way to Shur.”
(Genesis 16:7, ESV)

Prayer: Ask God to open your eyes to His presence in your most desolate place.
Challenge: Write the name of one “wilderness” area in your life on a paper. Circle it in prayer.

Day 2: Arrows in the Warrior’s Hand

The psalmist compares children to arrows in a warrior’s hand. Ancient archers spent hours straightening shafts, fletching feathers, and filing stone points. Yet once released, arrows faced winds, obstacles, and enemy defenses. Warriors aimed carefully but couldn’t control the arrow’s final path. [07:51]

God designed parenting as intentional preparation, not guaranteed outcomes. Like archers testing bowstrings, we model prayer, teach Scripture, and nurture character. But like Abraham releasing Ishmael into the desert, we must finally open our hands. The battle belongs to the Lord who guides arrows to their mark.

What keeps you gripping your “arrows” too tightly? Identify one area where you’re substituting control for trust – perhaps checking your child’s phone nightly or agonizing over college choices. How might you symbolically release that concern to God today?

“Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth.”
(Psalm 127:4, ESV)

Prayer: Confess one specific fear about your child’s future to God.
Challenge: Set a 5-minute timer and sit with empty hands, physically practicing release.

Day 3: When the Arrow Leaves Your Hand

Hagar’s story takes a shocking turn when God tells her to return to Sarah’s abuse. This wasn’t endorsement of slavery, but divine strategy. By walking back into the hard place as a woman who’d encountered God, Hagar carried a new identity: “The God Who Sees Me.” Her obedience became Ishmael’s protection. [29:35]

Surrender often looks like returning, not escaping. Jesus didn’t bypass the cross; He walked into it. When we release control, we don’t abandon responsibility – we anchor to God’s faithfulness. Your child’s rebellion, wayward spouse, or financial crisis becomes the stage where God demonstrates His power.

Where is God asking you to trust Him with a situation you’ve been trying to fix? What makes obedience feel dangerous in this area?

“She called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, ‘You are a God of seeing,’ for she said, ‘Truly here I have seen him who looks after me.’”
(Genesis 16:13, ESV)

Prayer: Thank God for seeing your hidden struggles.
Challenge: Text a parent friend: “I’m praying for your child today.” Name their kid specifically.

Day 4: The Promise of Wild Freedom

God promised Hagar that Ishmael would be a “wild donkey of a man.” To our ears, this sounds insulting. But to an Egyptian slave, wild donkeys symbolized unbroken freedom – creatures answering to no master, thriving in harsh deserts. Ishmael would never endure his mother’s shackles. [39:48]

God’s promises often defy our expectations. He didn’t promise Hagar ease, but purposeful struggle. Your children might not walk pristine paths, but God authors their stories. That “rebellious” teen developing grit? That “dreamer” lacking conventional goals? God may be preparing them for deserts you’ve never imagined.

What unconventional quality in your child causes you anxiety? How might God reframe that trait as Kingdom potential?

“He shall be a wild donkey of a man, his hand against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, and he shall dwell over against all his kinsmen.”
(Genesis 16:12, ESV)

Prayer: Ask God to show you His purpose in your child’s most challenging trait.
Challenge: Write down three strengths in your child that frustrate you. Circle one as a prayer focus.

Day 5: Breaking Chains with Your Knees

Hagar’s encounter transformed her legacy. Though she returned to Sarah’s tent, she carried a divine promise. Every time she called Ishmael by name (“God Hears”), she declared freedom over him. Her prayers built a spiritual inheritance that outlived her circumstances. [46:23]

You can’t control outcomes, but you can bombard heaven on your knees. Like Hannah dedicating Samuel before his birth, your intercession marks your children’s futures. Each prayer is an arrow shot into battles you’ll never see. The parent who prays “Your will be done” unleashes cosmic power.

What chain from your family line (fear, addiction, dysfunction) do you want broken over your children? How can you “pray them past” that stronghold today?

“Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.”
(Proverbs 22:6, ESV)

Prayer: Claim Proverbs 22:6 over one child/grandchild by name.
Challenge: Kneel by your child’s bed (or picture) and pray aloud for 2 minutes.

Sermon Summary

We see purpose in the wilderness through the story of Hagar and the promise God gives her son. Parents carry deep anxiety about their children’s future and often try to control outcomes, but scripture calls us to aim the arrow, release it, and trust God with the flight. The Bible frames parenting as faithful training rather than absolute control, and Proverbs and Psalms remind us that children leave our hands into God’s ordering. God searches for the lost and the hurting, finding Hagar at a spring in the desert just steps from destruction, and speaks to her with tender authority that comforts and redirects.

We notice three movements in Hagar’s encounter. First, God pursues the one who feels unseen and unwanted, showing that no place of rejection lies beyond his gaze. Second, God confronts fear by sending Hagar back, not to punish, but to reposition her as one who now walks differently because God has seen her. Third, God promises freedom across generations by declaring Hagar’s son a wild donkey, a picture of freedom from the bondage she knew. That promise reframes the child that others called a mistake into a child with a divine vocation and a different trajectory.

We face hard truths about control and rest. The urge to direct every outcome steals rest and reveals a lack of trust in God’s providence. The remedy lies not in passivity but in active pursuit of God ourselves, not merely instructing children to seek God. When we seek God on our knees, when we worship and live the faith before them, we change the arc of our family story. An encounter with God interrupts cycles, redeems pain, and offers a promise that what has oppressed one generation need not define the next.

Key Takeaways

1. Purpose exists in the wilderness We often walk through deserts that feel pointless, yet God locates purpose precisely there. The spring that finds the despairing shows that God intends to turn places of scarcity into sites of revelation and rescue. When we recognize God’s presence in our hard places, we start responding differently to pain and to fear. [01:57]
2. God pursues the lost relentlessly Scripture portrays God as actively searching, not passively waiting, for those who wander and suffer. That pursuit comforts the afflicted and destabilizes any theology that equates distance with abandonment. In our desperation, God’s pursuit reframes identity from lost to sought. [23:12]
3. Control kills our rest Attempts to micromanage outcomes expose distrust and erode peace in our hearts. Aiming the arrow and refusing to cling to its flight invites dependence on God’s providence instead of our own schemes. True rest grows when we trade the illusion of control for faithful surrender. [11:12]
4. Encounters change generational trajectories A single encounter with God transforms not only the person who meets him but also those who follow them. Hagar’s meeting diverted her son’s path away from inherited bondage toward freedom. Our personal seeking of God can break cycles and rewire family futures. [46:23]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:25] - Scripture reading Genesis 16 13
[01:57] - Purpose in the wilderness
[03:12] - Parenting anxieties and longing
[07:16] - The arrow image and release
[09:22] - Proverbs 22 instruction explained
[20:10] - God finds Hagar at the spring
[29:35] - God tells Hagar to return
[36:46] - Promise about Ishmael explained
[46:23] - Call to seek God and worship

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Genesis 16:7-10 (ESV)
The angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, the spring on the way to Shur. And he said, “Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from and where are you going?” She said, “I am fleeing from my mistress Sarai.” The angel of the Lord said to her, “Return to your mistress and submit to her.” The angel of the Lord also said to her, “I will surely multiply your offspring so that they cannot be numbered for multitude.”

Observation Questions

In Genesis 16:7, Hagar is found near a spring in the wilderness on the way to Shur. What does the location of this encounter (a desert spring) symbolize about God’s provision in seemingly hopeless situations? [20:55]
God asks Hagar two questions: “Where have you come from?” and “Where are you going?” (Genesis 16:8). How do these questions reveal both her current reality and her lack of direction? [28:29]
The sermon compares parenting to “aiming an arrow” (Psalm 127:4). What does this imagery suggest about the balance between intentional effort and releasing control? [07:51]
What does God’s promise to Hagar about Ishmael becoming “a wild donkey of a man” (Genesis 16:12) communicate about breaking cycles of bondage? [38:11]

Interpretation Questions

Why might God have instructed Hagar to return to Sarai (Genesis 16:9) instead of letting her escape entirely? How does this redirect her story rather than simply “rescuing” her? [30:01]
The sermon describes the “wild donkey” metaphor as a promise of freedom. How does this contrast with the cultural assumptions about what constitutes a “blessed” or “successful” life? [38:30]
Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train up a child in the way he should go.” How does the sermon clarify that this is a proverb (general wisdom) rather than a guaranteed promise? What tension does this create for parents? [09:22]
The angel tells Hagar, “The Lord has listened to your affliction” (Genesis 16:11). How does God’s response to her pain challenge the idea that suffering is a sign of His absence? [33:48]

Application Questions

When have you felt like Hagar—unseen, unwanted, or running toward a “wilderness”? How might God’s pursuit of you in that moment reframe how you view your pain? [22:32]
The sermon warns that “control kills rest” by exposing distrust in God’s providence. What practical step could you take this week to release an area of control (e.g., a child’s choices, a family situation) and actively trust God? [11:12]
Hagar’s encounter with God changed her son’s trajectory. What negative cycle (e.g., anxiety, fear, relational patterns) do you want to interrupt through your own pursuit of God? How could daily prayer or worship shift this? [46:23]
The “wild donkey” promise redefined Ishmael’s identity from “mistake” to “miracle.” Is there a part of your story or someone else’s that others have labeled a “failure”? How might God’s perspective redefine it? [32:44]
The sermon emphasizes that “seeking God on our knees” models faith for others. What specific habit (e.g., prayer, Scripture reading, worship) could you prioritize to visibly live out your faith before your family or community? [45:26]

Sermon Clips

55s

#LetGoTrustGod

“It's the hard diss truth, the any mother can face, es una verdad difícil que cualquier madre puede confrontar, esa hard truth for fadhers, es una dificultad para los padres. Que, por tanto, lo que hagamos, no podemos controlar cómo terminan nuestros hijos. We can only trust go. Solamente podemos confiarle a dios. Control or the desire for control is the biggest killer of rest. El deseo de controlar es el más grande asesino del reposo. You want to let gove your rest, try to control everything. No quiere descansar, trata de controlar todo.”

47s

#GoBackInFaith

“Now, I don't know about you, ahora yo no sé de usted, pero I find this to be the hartest verse in this entire story. Yo creo que ese es el versículo más difícil en toda esta historia. Because is in the desert, ella está en el desierto, she's running for her life, está corriendo por su vida, she's pregnette, está embarazada, She knows at they don't want her, ella sabe que no la quieren. And get. Y, aun así, dios le dice, regresa. Got tells are go back. This disn't feel like good news. No se escuche, no se escucha como buenas noticias.”

43s

#ConfrontedAndChanged

“But here is who we need to understand. Pero es lo que tenemos que entender. The god's purpose of the in volves and confronting our big sphere. Que a veces, el propósito de dios involucra confrontando nuestros más grandes temores. ¿Y? ¿Por qué? Because god wants to put you in a sub situation? No. Porque dios quiere ponerte en una situación difícil, no. But because now, you're going back different. sene by the god who see. ¿Por qué? Porque ahora estás regresando diferente y estás regresando vista por el dios que ve.”

39s

#GodSeesYouToday

“I want a incurred somebody this morning. Quiero animarle a alguien en esta mañana, you may be a field step away from destruction today. Quizás usted se encuentra a pocos pasos de la destrucción. Maybe you made some estakes, they your pain for today. Quizás usted hizo unas errores que usted está pagando. Maybe you made some bad decisions. Quizás ha hecho has hecho unas malas decisiones. But there is a good who see you this morning. Hay un dios que te ve en esta mañana, and he does not want to to keep walking in the wrong direction. Él no quiere que sigas caminando en la dirección equivocada.”

49s

#GodChangesStories

“A woman that was unwanted, reyed and running for her life, una mujer que no era deseada, era rechazada, y andaba corriendo para vivir. Carring a child, that people were calling a mistake, cargando a un niño que la gente llamaba un error. And got changed your story. Vamos a escuchar cómo dios la encontró, cómo dios la vio y cómo dios cambió su historia. Hagor, agar. Somos vos, my know, who she is, and somos vos, my knock, quizás unos conocemos quién es y otros quizás no.”

45s

#HePursuesYou

“Because he persues Hagor, porque busca a Agar. He search is to he get your attention. Busca hasta recibir su atención. Isn't that just like Jesus? ¿Qué no se escucha tanto como Jesús? The he want leave the ninety nine to go look for the one ship, que él deja los 99 para buscar a la oveja sola. That same is looking for you this morning. Ese mismo Jesús está buscando a ti en esta mañana. To let you know that you are not alone, para dejarte saber que no estás solo. And that he sees you. Y que él te ve a ti.”

40s

#AimThenTrust

“You can't control it's destination. No puedes controlar su destino. Your job is to aim the error to let go and to trust. Nuestro trabajo es dirigir la saeta, dejarlo ir y confiar que va a llegar. Twenty two, ver six, proverbios 22, versículo 6. Man you was have herd description before. Muchos de nosotros hemos escuchado esta este versículo anteriormente. Train up a child and the way he should go. And even when he is old, he will not department.”

56s

#WorryStealsRest

“The fear of how your children will turn out. El temor de cómo sus hijos van a crecer. What will they be come? ¿Qué será de ellos? It's a burning that many parents carry. Es una carga que muchos padres llevan. And it takes rest away from us. Y nos quita nuestro descanso. It's something that ways havey on us. Es algo que pesa sobre nosotros. Nos asusta tanto y está tan pesado, porque no importa lo que hagamos ni cuánto hagamos, nosotros no podemos controlar el resultado.”

56s

“It's the hardest truth, the any mother can face, es una verdad difícil que cualquier madre puede confrontar, it's the hard truth for fathers, es una dificultad para los padres. Que, por tanto, lo que hagamos, no podemos controlar cómo terminan nuestros hijos. We can only trust God. Solamente podemos confiarle a Dios. Control or the desire for control is the biggest killer of rest. El deseo de controlar es el más grande asesino del reposo. You want to let give up your rest, try to control everything. No quiere descansar, trata de controlar todo.”

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There's Purpose in the Wilderness | Hay Proposito en el Desierto | Pastor Kris Bojorquez

Devotional

Day 1: Found by the Desert Spring

Day 2: Arrows in the Warrior’s Hand

Day 3: When the Arrow Leaves Your Hand

Day 4: The Promise of Wild Freedom

Day 5: Breaking Chains with Your Knees

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

There's Purpose in the Wilderness | Hay Proposito en el Desierto | Pastor Kris Bojorquez

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