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. He went in to Hagar, and she conceived; and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her sight.
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.” 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.
Sarai (Sarah) came up with an interesting idea as she explored God’s will and contemplated how He would give her and Abraham a child. Unfortunately, her lack of faith led to serious heartache. I find it interesting that both women despised each other after this “experiment”. Instead of the new baby drawing them closer together (as you would hope) their relationship was actually severed. One of the wonderful outcomes is that Hagar would know God as “El Roi”, the God who sees (our need).
How adept am I at discerning God’s will? Do I have enough faith to believe what He says at “face value”, or do I manipulate the way forward? Am I considering the impact my actions have on other people?
God, what a fascinating lesson today. As I think about what Your will is for me and the ministry I serve within, help me be filled with wisdom and insight so that I can consider the impact of my decisions upon others.
