"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.' Abram agreed to what Sarai said. So after Abram had been living in Canaan ten years, Sarai his wife took her Egyptian slave Hagar and gave her to her husband to be his wife. He slept with Hagar, and she conceived. When she knew she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress." Genesis 16:2-4
Looking into the picture of Sarah:
- She was desperate. She was blinded by her emotions. She bullied Abram for being a father of all nations without inheritance. She doubted God. She was carried by traditional rules. She was confused and lost, and SHE DECIDED TO ACT WITHOUT GOD.
- Sarah did a very wrong decision, but we cannot blame her. For she was promised by God to be the mother of all nations yet she did not have child at her old age. So driven by her desire, without asking God's permission, she let Abram slept with Hagar. She thought that out of such decision, she can be able to have her own family. But instead, it didn't solve any of her problems. It didn't give better results. Rather, it made the situation worse.
Lessons:
1.) DO NOT MAKE DECISIONS WITHOUT GOD
Do not make decisions without God in the first place. For it will lead to undesirable results. God knows what is best for you. Wait for His timing.
2.) DO NOT ASSUME
Do not assume when God gave you instruction or promise. Sometimes it takes time for you to see the results. There is a blessing in waiting! God is more concerned in the process than in the results.
According to Jerry Bridges,
God wants us to walk in obedience - not victory, for victory, is a byproduct of obedience.
3.) DO NOT BE GOD OF YOUR LIFE.
Do not think that if we do the actions, we can be able to solve our life's problems. Sometimes the best answer is to say 'no' to yourself, bend your knees to pray and wait for God to do the job. He will fight for us.
4.) DO NOT MAKE DECISION WHEN YOU ARE EMOTIONALLY UNSTABLE.
Pain and sorrow make human weak and helter-skelter decisions. Let God change your pain to joy first
Reflections:
It is God's very nature to give promises and plans for us. It is also His nature to fulfill all His promises for
He is faithful! It is our duty to trust Him, and not to go ahead of Him. Yes, waiting is painful, but God has a great reward for those who willingly waits. Abraham and Sarah didn't witness what God promised to become the father and mother of all nations for they died at an old good age, but they trusted God and He gave them Isaac. Through Isaac, they understood that they don't need to see the accomplishment of God's promises, but to look only to God.
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