God, Make a Way for Me — Say This Prayer Before Bed
Hagar had run out of water, run out of options, and run out of hope, all at once. 🌙
She was alone in the wilderness with her son, sent away with nothing but bread and a skin of water that had already been used up. She placed the boy under a bush, walked a short distance away, and sat down, because she couldn't bear to watch him die. She lifted her voice and wept.
And in the middle of that complete dead end, with no visible resource left and no plan remaining, the text tells us God heard the boy crying, and an angel called out to Hagar, asking what was wrong and telling her not to be afraid. Then it says God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water that had apparently been there the whole time.
She hadn't moved to a new location. The well wasn't created out of nothing in that moment. Her eyes were simply opened to something that had already existed, right where she already was.
The God Who Sees, Before the Well Was Found 👁️
This isn't actually the first time Hagar encountered God in the wilderness. Earlier in her story, fleeing a difficult situation for the first time, she gave God a name after an earlier encounter — El Roi, the God who sees. She said it plainly: have I truly seen the One who sees me?
That name matters for tonight's prayer. Before there was a well, before there was a resolved situation, there was simply being seen. Her crisis wasn't solved by her own searching. It was solved by being noticed, by a God who saw her specific distress and responded to it directly.
If you're lying in bed tonight feeling unseen in your own situation — like your particular way out hasn't occurred to anyone, including you — this story starts with exactly that. Not a solution first. Being seen first.
Her Eyes Had to Be Opened 👀
Here's the detail that changes how I think about "God, make a way." The well wasn't dropped into the wilderness that day. The text's wording suggests it was already there. What changed was her ability to see it. That's a different kind of way-making than a dramatic miracle appearing from nothing. Sometimes making a way means God opening your eyes to a resource, a person, an option that's already present but currently invisible to you, buried underneath exhaustion, grief, or tunnel vision.
A Prayer Before Bed: God, Make a Way for Me 🙏
Pray this honestly, the way Hagar wept honestly before anything visibly changed.
God, tonight I feel like I've run out of water in the wilderness, with nothing left to try and nowhere left to turn.
Before I ask You to make something new, I'm asking You to see me, the way You saw Hagar in her own desperate moment. I believe You already see exactly what I'm facing.
Open my eyes. If there's a way already near me that I simply can't see right now, show it to me. I don't need something created from nothing — I need to actually notice what's already there.
Quiet the fear that's been talking louder than my faith tonight. Let me lie down and rest instead of staying up straining to solve this on my own strength.
Make a way for me, however that looks — new provision, or eyes opened to provision I've been standing right beside.
You are El Roi, the God who sees me. I trust You to open my eyes tonight or tomorrow. Amen. 🌙
There's a Prayer Most People Never Get Shown 🕯️
Not every piece of our faith makes it into the sermons we hear on a Sunday. Tucked inside Christian history are prayers, traditions and reflections that quietly fell out of common use — not because they stopped working, but because they simply stopped being passed down.
One of them is a specific Abundance Prayer with a story behind it worth hearing in full — the kind of thing that makes you wonder what else has been sitting there the whole time, waiting to be noticed, the same way Hagar's well was.
It takes a few minutes to actually see it for yourself. If tonight's prayer about having your eyes opened meant anything to you, this is worth opening next.
What Happened After Her Eyes Opened 🌱
The story doesn't end with Hagar simply surviving that one night. She filled the water skin, gave the boy a drink, and the text goes on to describe God being with the boy as he grew up. The well was the beginning of ongoing provision, not a single isolated rescue.
That's worth holding onto tonight. Whatever way is made for you doesn't have to be a one-time miracle disconnected from the rest of your story. It can be the start of something that keeps being provided for, the way the well kept being there long after that one desperate afternoon.
Practicing Open Eyes Tonight 🕊️
Ask specifically to see, not just to receive. Hagar's prayer wasn't just for water. The shift was in her eyes being opened. Pray for that kind of clarity too.
Consider what you might be standing right beside. A resource, a person, an option you've overlooked because exhaustion has narrowed your vision.
Let tonight be about being seen, not just solved. Rest in knowing you're noticed, even before the full solution is visible.
Expect the way to possibly already be near you. Not always distant or yet to be created — sometimes simply unnoticed.
Frequently Asked Questions 💬
Where is Hagar's story found in the Bible?
It's recorded in Genesis 21:14-19, with an earlier encounter described in Genesis 16.
What does "El Roi" mean?
It's commonly translated as "the God who sees," a name Hagar gave God after an earlier encounter in the wilderness.
Does this mean the solution to my problem is already near me?
Not necessarily in every case, but this story is a reminder to stay open to that possibility rather than assuming every way forward has to be newly created.
What if I pray this and still don't see a way tonight?
Keep praying it, and stay watchful over the coming days. Having your eyes opened doesn't always happen in the same instant as the prayer itself.
What If the Way Forward Has Been Sitting There the Whole Time? 🔥
Have you ever wondered whether there are ancient prayers, spiritual traditions, or lesser-known writings that could offer a completely different perspective on abundance and faith — the kind of thing nobody ever actually sat you down and taught?
Some Christian traditions and historical texts contain prayers and reflections that simply aren't part of common teaching today. Not because they were disproven, but because they were quietly left behind as the years passed.
That's exactly what led to uncovering a powerful Abundance Prayer, along with the story behind it — the kind of discovery that makes you wonder what else has been within reach the entire time, the way Hagar's well was.
If you've ever felt like you were missing a piece of this, even one you couldn't quite name, take a few minutes to see it for yourself. You may recognise more of it than you expect.
Before You Close Your Eyes 💛
You might not need something new to be created tonight. You might simply need your eyes opened to what's already there. Either way, God is near enough to see exactly what you're facing.
God, make a way for me. Open my eyes. I trust You see me tonight. 🌙
If you know someone who feels like they've run out of water in their own wilderness tonight, send this to them. 💖
This post reflects personal faith and reflection on Scripture, not professional advice. If you're facing an ongoing crisis or significant hardship, please also seek support from a trusted person or a qualified professional. Some links in this article may be affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
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