Genesis 16:1-2

New International Version

Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian slave named Hagar; so she said to Abram, “The Lord has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my slave; perhaps I can build a family through her.”

Meditation

Unbelief is tragic and can lead to impatience, especially in this fast-paced world. Our patience wears thin quickly because, like Peter walking on water, we lose focus on Jesus as we see the winds of adversity swirling around us. So, who can wait for God to fulfill His purpose when we cannot see solutions but increasing chaos? However, if we are to truly enjoy our walk with God, we must learn these four truths:

In God’s providence, He makes the promise. Faith apprehends it, hope expects it, and patience receives it through quiet waiting. That is the pathway to God’s treasury and delighting in life with Him in Christ Jesus.

The Patriarchal couple of Abraham and Sarah had a dilemma (Gen. 16:1-4). God promised them a son, but they were too old to receive the blessing, or so they thought. Caught between the promise and its fulfillment, they endured for thirteen years! Imagine their disappointment. It is always a test of faith when God is silent, and yours, too, might be, but how many recognize that in real-time?

Sarah sees an opportunity in Hagar (1b), and she takes advantage of the culture to fulfill the promise. She wanted to help God fulfill His promise. Sometimes, we reason God has too much on His plate or that there are other priorities. We may not verbalize it, but our feelings manifest it. We may even be unaware but that is precisely our thought. So, Sarah saw the youthful Hagar as the solution to her dilemma. Time had exhausted her body, but Hagar was a prime source for the aged Patriarch.

However, the created is never as trustworthy as the Creator. God can use any chosen instrument from His creation to accomplish His purposes. It was treasonous for Sarah to trust Hagar’s body over God’s ordained body—that of Sarah herself.

Remember David and Goliath? Saul assessed David’s chances based on the young man’s size and lack of military experience. But David never considered himself in that light, but always as God’s instrument. 

The power to defeat Goliath was God’s, not his. 

“The Lord who rescued me from the claws of the lion and the bear will rescue me from this Philistine!” (1 Samuel 17:37).

Faith does not focus on the quality of the instrument in God’s hands. It trusts in Almighty God, who can use His chosen, regardless of condition, to accomplish His purpose. Hagar was never God’s chosen instrument for the birth of the promised son to Abraham. Sarah was, but she looked away from herself in disbelief and assigned Hagar the job. Such tragedy is pervasive among believers.

God has made you an instrument to bless your family. However, you have focused on someone else as the means to that blessing. Such a perception is not always correct. The perceived alternative could be deceptive and the source of your troubles. Sarah’s perception of Hagar was incorrect, leading to conflict within the family. The saint God adores is the humble one who, in weakness, trusts in God’s power and patiently waits for Him (Isa. 40:31).

So, let your faith hold and overcome your inadequacies as you look to Jesus, who will always deliver on His promises. Amen.

Pray With Me

Thank you, Father, for your keen eyes on me. Help me, Lord, to wait for you in absolute trust to fulfill your promises for my life through Christ Jesus, my King Redeemer.   

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