Published 10/1/19
Read
"Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had borne him no children. She had a female Egyptian servant whose name was Hagar. And Sarai said to Abram, 'Behold now, the Lord has prevented me from bearing children. Go in to my servant; it may be that I shall obtain children by her.' And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai. So, after Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, Sarai, Abram's wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her servant, and gave her to Abram her husband as a wife. And he went in to Hagar, and she conceived. And when she saw that she had conceived, she looked with contempt on her mistress." Genesis 16:1-4
Reflect
Why do you suppose Sarai didn't wait on God? Think about a time in your life when you got impatient and decided to take matters into your own hands. What happened?
Sarai was aware of God's promise to bless her and Abram with descendants who would outnumber the stars. But after living in Canaan for ten years and still not conceiving, Sarai became impatient.
Oftentimes when God says He's going to do something, we expect that He means now. But He's on a completely different timetable than we are. We'd be wise to react like David did when he was told he would be king of Israel. He didn't toss his shepherd's staff in the dust and rush out to purchase a new wardrobe and search for an empty throne. He simply continued caring for his flock of sheep. His confidence in God was so strong that he knew God would work out all the details when it was time. Years passed, and David consistently performed his duties as a shepherd.
We live in a fast-paced culture. We want everything now. We zoom up to the drive-through, toss our money over the counter, and catch our food as we hit the gas. It's no wonder we live spiritually the same way. Toss a prayer request into the toaster and expect the answer to pop right out. Sometimes God's ways take time.
Unfortunately, we often try to be microwave Christians. What if God is calling us to be slow-cooker Christians? Maybe He wants us to cook in His grace a bit longer. Perhaps He desires for us to enjoy the savor of His Spirit in us and through us. Maybe He simply wants us to wait on Him.
Sarai hadn't learned this lesson. She didn't have the God confidence she needed. She began to doubt, and instead of waiting on God's perfect timing, Sarai decided to take things into her own hands. And by doing so, she really messed things up.
Pray
Lord, help me to trust Your perfect timing. Give me the peace and strength I need to wait on You. Amen.