Date: 01-06-2020

Title: God’s Will My Way – No Way

(S) cripture:

Genesis 16:1-6 (NASB77)
¹  Now Sarai, Abram’s wife had borne him no children, and she had an Egyptian maid whose name was Hagar.
²  So Sarai said to Abram, “Now behold, the LORD has prevented me from bearing children. Please go in to my maid; perhaps I shall obtain children through her.” And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai.
³  And after Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, Abram’s wife Sarai took Hagar the Egyptian, her maid, and gave her to her husband Abram as his wife.
⁴  And he went in to Hagar, and she conceived; and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her sight.
⁵  And Sarai said to Abram, ” May the wrong done me be upon you. I gave my maid into your arms; but when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her sight. May the LORD judge between you and me.”
⁶  But Abram said to Sarai, “Behold, your maid is in your power; do to her what is good in your sight.” So Sarai treated her harshly, and she fled from her presence.

(O) bservation:

    God had already promised Abram that his offspring would be numbered like the stars of the sky. He was old and his wife, Sarai, could not have children. How would God’s promise and will be fulfilled? Sarai devised a plan to accomplish God’s will. It was her plan not God’s. She told Abram to sleep with Hagar, her servant, and she could raise a family that way. Sounds noble but it was fraught with danger. Jealousy came in and Hagar got resentful and Sarai got mean. What was begun to accomplish God’s Will ends in disaster. God does make a way to keep his promise with Abram but not without some pain

(A) pplication:

    When I get ahead of God things tend to fall apart or at least go off course. Even if I know what God wants to accomplish, I need to wait for Him to move. This does not mean that I do nothing – that I don’t prepare or look for opportunities – It simply means that I need to do God’s will in God’s way and in God’s time. It is in the timing that I mess up the most. I have trouble waiting on the Lord and so get ahead of him way too often. It is hard to follow when you are ahead of the leader. In the passage today Sarai got jealous, impatient and mean with Hagar and Abram. I do not want to get that way in my relationships with the people around me, especially the ones closest to me. Today I will listen to hear what God says and then wait on Him to lead. I will prepare so I can be ready to move ahead when He says it’s time. Like so many other things in my walk with the Lord, this is easy to say and tough to do.

(P) rayer:

    Lord, you know how easy it is for me to get ahead of You. I want to follow you. When I start to move ahead, draw me back so I can walk with you and do your will in your time and way. Amen