Genesis 16:1-16
Ten years after Abram had believed God’s promise of a son, he and Sarai were still childless. In today’s passage we see that Sarai got fed up with waiting and decided to take matters into her own hands. Paul, commenting on this episode in Galatians 4:21-31, makes it clear that Sarai’s decision – and the result of it – was according to the flesh. She was focused on her age, her barrenness and the time that had passed since the son was promised, and she put greater importance on those things than what God had said. But doing things our own way is never a recipe for success. Sarai’s plan, and the son who resulted from it, caused problems from the start and the consequences of her actions continue to this day.
Many of you can probably identify with Sarai’s impatience and desire to make things happen. When we feel powerless and out of control it is natural to look for something we can do to change the situation, but we need to recognise that our desire for premature action reveals our lack of trust in God. Running ahead of what God is doing is not walking by faith. He does not need us to give Him a nudge to fulfil what He has said He will do. Our efforts will just bring confusion and harm.
Numbers 23:19 “God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?”
Meanwhile, what of Abram, that supposedly great man of faith? Rather than encouraging Sarai to stand firm and wait for the Lord, he chose the path of least resistance. He went along with Sarai’s plan, even though he must have known in his heart that it was wrong, and when it caused conflict in his home he abdicated his responsibility and left the women to sort it out.
Abram was guilty of passivity, which can be just as dangerous as acting independently. Walking by faith is a partnership between us and God. Waiting involves contending for what God has said, not simply sitting back and expecting it all to unfold.
Jesus told His disciples: “take my yoke upon you” (Matthew 11:29). The yoke that would have come to mind for his listeners was a neck harness that was placed on two oxen so that they could pull a plough together across a field. Made of wood, it performed the function of keeping the two oxen in sync with one another as they worked. This is a picture of our relationship with the Lord as we walk through life with Him. Faith keeps us working in partnership with Him, not running ahead like Sarah or opting out like Abram, in order to accomplish the kingdom work He has prepared for us.
Prayer
Dear Lord,
Forgive me that I so often fall into the trap of impatient action, or passive inaction. Thank You that You are faithful, continually moving in a straight line towards Your goal. Help me, I pray, to walk in partnership with You, trusting in what You have said and resisting every scheme of the enemy to distract me, or hinder it from being fulfilled in my life.
Amen.
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