Hi how are you all? I am well. My boys came home yesterday which was good as it is my oldest son’s birthday next week. We had some Chinese takeaway and cake. We had a good time catching up. For those whose kids have left home, do you treasure these times as well?
We are up to step 5 in our faith walk. But I want to digress for just a moment. Although Abram had just gone through four steps with God leading him, in Genesis 16, we see Abram not trusting God but relying on his wife’s wisdom. Let’s look at the story.
In verse 1, we see the promise of a child for Sarai still had not come to pass. But she had an Egyptian servant. So, in verse 2, Sarai tells her husband to go sleep with her servant. As a wife, this scenario does not sit well with me at all. But instead of obeying God, Abram decides to go along with Sarai’s plan – bad move. He sleeps with Hagar and she falls pregnant.
So was Sarai happy about it. Abram now had his heir but it wasn’t the promise from God but a promise borne out of flesh. In verse 5, Sarai blames Abram as her servant now despises her. Her servant is pregnant with the heir and not the wife.
How often does this happen with us? God gives us a promise but we get tired of waiting and take matters into our own hands. We then get a second rate promise and wonder why things go badly for us. Could it be that in not waiting we have disobeyed God and are now suffering the consequences of my way is best?
So what happened to the servant? Sarai treated her terribly and sent her away. But the grace and mercy of God is always for people. Even though the servant stepped out of her role, God met her where she was at- by a spring of water.
Then what is so beautiful about this story is that God gave the servant, Hagar a promise about her child. But first Hagar had to submit and return to her role as Sarai’s servant. The promise to her and her baby is found in verse 11 and 12. God promises that her descendants would multiply but her baby would be a wild man- not the son of promise. The modern day Arabs claim they are descended from this baby.
Further, Hagar receives her own revelation about God. She said in verse 13, that God is the God Who sees. He is not the God who turns away and rejects. He is the God Who sees- the God Who sees your pain, your mistreatment, your rejection and your sorrow and still gives a promise.
This story has many things for us to learn. They are:
- Keep believing God for your promise
- Don’t take matters into your own hand if the promise seems too slow in coming
- If you mess up, God still sees you and loves you
- God can redeem your situation if you submit and believe His promise for you again
This week consider what you are believing God for and make sure you don’t take matters into your own hand. There are still more steps of faith to go. Until next time, keep living the life God intended for you.
Bless you heaps
Karen
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