Trust and Obey

In Genesis 15 it says:

"But Abram said, "O Sovereign LORD, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?" And Abram said, 'You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir.'

Then the word of the LORD came to him: 'This man will not be your heir, but a son coming from your own body will be your heir.' He took him outside and said, "Look up at the heavens and count the stars—if indeed you can count them." Then he said to him, 'So shall your offspring be.'"

And Genesis 16:

"Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar; so she said to Abram, 'The LORD has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family through her.'"

Sarai's weakness is my own weakness.

Sarah chose a painful detour in order to "help God." Her thinking was understandable, because it was disgraceful to have no heir for their estate, and it was customary to take a servant to produce an heir which would become like the woman's very own child. She had till this point waited ten years to see God fulfill his promise to give them a child, and He still had not done it.

Sarai saw the consequence of her impatience, of making her own plans to get it done herself. She despised Hagar, she blamed Abraham for the whole affair--she was not able to handle her own guilt. Hagar's child, Ishmael, was prophecied to be violent against her own offspring. Detours are dangerous.

But God's time table was perfect. What was the perfection in making Abraham and Sarah wait 25 years to receive the child that was promised? By making Abraham and Sarah as good as dead when they conceived, God truly would get all the glory, and He truly would be most marveled for causing such a controversial and miraculous conception as He promised. God is far more interested in us getting to know Him, than spoiling us by giving immediately. Our goal is to trust Him. But even at year ten Sarah had so little trust that there is no record of her praying about this decision to use Hagar; she just took over and used her own resources to accomplish the goal.

God's delay does not mean God is denying us. Here is the evidence of walking by faith and not by sight:

--what you do is done for the glory of God. Not like Sarah who buckles, under pressure, stealing God's glory.

--willingness to wait on the Lord. Scheming and planning and compromising is not waiting.

--acting on the authority of God's word.

--when we act by faith then God will give us joy and peace instead of frustration and bitterness. Sarah's faltered faith produced no joy or peace in her home.

Waiting is a cross that is taken up, daily. Today I can die to self-satisfaction of receiving the promises I long to own.

This morning as we were studying these chapters in BSF we also sang the hymn "Trust and Obey:"

"But we never can prove
the delights of His love
until all on the altar we lay
For the favor He shows
and the joy He bestows
are for them who will trust and obey

Trust and obey
for there's no other way
to be happy in Jesus
than to trust and obey"

--John H. Sammis