Published 10/2/19
Read
"And Sarai said to Abram, 'May the wrong done to me be on you! I gave my servant to your embrace, and when she saw that she had conceived, she looked on me with contempt. May the Lord judge between you and me!' But Abram said to Sarai, 'Behold, your servant is in your power; do to her as you please.' Then Sarai dealt harshly with her, and she fled from her." Genesis 16:5-6
Reflect
What holds you back from giving all to God?
Sarai probably didn't wait on God for some of the same reasons we don't: We become impatient, or we begin to doubt that we heard God correctly. Sometimes we think we can work out matters better and faster than He will. But very often, when we don't see the Lord working, we become afraid and we let fear move us to action instead of being still. That's what happened to Sarai. When she didn't see God move in her life, she assumed He simply wasn't going to move at all.
When Sarai was much older, she experienced the fulfillment of God's promise through the birth of her own son, Isaac. And unfortunately, here's where the story takes an interesting turn As Isaac and Ishmael began to grow, Sarai became jealous of Hagar and her son. Yes, even though it was Sarai's idea to use Hagar to give Abraham a son, now that Isaac was on the scene, Sarai wanted nothing to do with Ishmael.
She burned with anger when she saw her husband teaching Ishmael to fish and when she saw Isaac, Abraham, and Ishmael hunting together, wrestling, or playfully teaching one another. Sarai knew that both boys would eventually share Abraham's inheritance, and she unfairly wanted it all for her own son, Isaac.
When we step ahead of God, we mess things up. Yes, He can still make beautiful things from our mistakes, but how much better if we simply trust Him and wait on His perfect plan! When we don't see God moving, it doesn't mean He's not working on our behalf. He's always moving; most of the time He's working quietly behind the scenes.
Sarai demonstrated her lack of God confidence in usurping His position of authority in her life and taking charge. And what does this tell us? It shows that her relationship with God wasn't as strong as it could have been. Who held the prominent place in her life? Not Jehovah. It was Abraham, and later it became Isaac.
For us to become all God desires us to be, we must give Him complete authority in our lives. He wants our love and devotion directed to Him first and to our spouse and family next. When we place God above all else, our faith in Him grows and He blesses our faith.
Pray
Lord, I don't want to hold back anything from You. I want to give all to You--my trust, my faith ... my life. Amen.