God made a promise to Abraham: descendants as plenteous as the stars; fulfillment of the hope in the hearts of Abraham and Sarah. But that had not happened yet, and circumstances seemed bleak. Abraham and Sarah were advanced in age. Sarah suffered the stigma of the time as an infertile woman. Abraham and Sarah were likely the topic of much gossip: their prosperous marriage but lack of an heir.
Desperation caused them to act, to disengage a little in their submission to God's will and arrange their own outcome. And who among us hasn't once (read: many times) done that? We have faith in God's will, so did Abraham, but we seem sometimes unable to resist... jump-starting it. It is a triumph of faith when we are able to submit completely to God's will (as completely as we humanly can), but it can be difficult to live so seemingly... passively. Certainly on the contrary, submission to God's will requires fierce loyalty, extreme patience, deep discernment and wholehearted effort. It requires a lot, which is why we sometimes... falter.
- (Genesis 17:1-9): THAT I MAY OBTAIN
Sarah was prepared to arrange her own outcome. It was acceptable in her time that a maidservant could bear a child of her master's husband and be claimed legitimately. Sarah thought that if she at least arranged for Abraham to have an heir, she would lessen the pressure of the stigma. She thought that it was her only way to have a family. So Sarah instructed her maidservant, Hagar, and Abraham to marry and conceive a child.
Hagar conceived and suddenly her status changed. She was more than a servant and she knew it; as Hagar realized her new prominence, she was less deferential to Sarah. And Sarah was deeply bothered. She regretted her interference and was no longer gracious to Hagar. Sarah's unfriendly behavior even caused Hagar to flee with her baby (a sermon for another day).
Ultimately, Sarah muddied the waters; acting on desperation always does. She added complication to her life and further heaviness to her heart. She involved others in that complication and heaviness. But Sarah also taught a great lesson: we must not attempt obtain by any means necessary, simply because we are impatient for, or in disagreement with, God's timing.
- (Genesis 17:15-27; Genesis 18:1-22) : INCREDIBLE PATIENCE, INCREDULOUS JOY
God continued to encourage Abraham to live a righteous lifestyle; He promised that if Abraham did so God would establish a covenant between them. The same spiritual contract is extended toward us. When we commit to following God, He commits to leading us into blessing.
It had been many years since God initially made a promise to Abraham, but there was still no baby; but the promise never went away or changed or delayed. God was preparing to bring it into fruition, the baby into Sarah's womb. God met Abraham once again, this time to explain the details of the birth.
At this point God changed their names from Abram to Abraham, Sarai to Sarah... father and mother of nations. They were about to be parents together. And though God blessed Abraham's child with Hagar (Ishmael), His promise would be fulfilled through Abraham's child with Sarah. Upon hearing this, Abraham laughed. He was incredulous... joy and disbelief mingled within him. Before departing, God informed Abraham that his son with Sarah would be named Isaac, and would be born in the coming year.
Sarah laughed too, though perhaps with more disbelief than Abraham. To which God responded: Is anything too hard for the Lord? We overthink and overwork ourselves with worry because we forget that in fact nothing is too hard for our God.
Understand that God is in the details and His timing is intentional and perfect. He knows the names of the people and things that are yet to come into our lives. Though we stare into the future and sometimes see only impossibility, God stares into our future and sees the details of the hopes and prayers realized in our lives. If He has promised it, He has initiated its creation and established the time of its delivery. "It" is different for all of us, though often we share hopes and dreams and prayers; but in Romans 8:28 God promised that all things would work together for good to those who love the Lord. So no matter what is coming, it will be a good thing, even if it is an answer to a prayer we didn't think to make.
- (Genesis 20): CAUSED TO WANDER
Realize that Abraham and Sarah were consistently caused to wander by God. God's plan, purpose and blessing unfolded throughout the journey. It is important for us to take note of that because we often expect to arrive at a blessing. Instead, God delivers them to us as we move along His path for us. Our God multitasks. He is accomplishing multiple things for, around and within us at all times. It was His opinion that Abraham and Sarah were not ready to be parents twenty-five years prior to when they actually became them.
We are not always going to agree with God's timing. In fact, while we are in the process of waiting for a blessing, we will probably think His timing entirely inconvenient. It is helpful if we consciously prevent ourselves from fixating on only one specific thing and instead open our awareness. A broader view of God's plan for our lives will enable us to learn and grow, receive and appreciate other blessings while still holding hope for that special one in the distance.
Because Abraham and Sarah were vastly blessed. Their story fixates on their specific prayer, and their other blessings fall by the wayside. Abraham and Sarah were healthy. Their marriage was secure and happy. Their blessings and their relationship with God allowed them to rescue and assist their family members in times of trouble. They were prosperous. God directed them away from desolate places and dishonest people. Abraham prayed to become a father but might have overlooked that God made him a leader and prophet, and blessed him with all of the skills to do both properly.
Desperation must not caused us to discard our truest blessing, the one we never have to wait for: God. Because even if waiting is a battle in our lives, it is one we cannot win without Him.