Written By Benjamin Dankaka
When things don’t work out as we expect, we allow other people’s opinion to get in the way.
God did not only tell Abraham that he would be a father of many nations; He backed up His promise with a covenant. The covenant ensued when Abraham cried out to God and demanded to know how God’s promises will be fulfilled. In response, God had asked Abraham to present a heifer, a goat, a ram, a dove and a young pigeon for a sacrifice (Genesis 15:8-9). On that fateful day, God made a pact with Abraham. Obviously, the purpose of that covenant was to reaffirm God’s promise. Normally, Abraham should have gone to sleep thereafter. But he didn’t.
When Abraham agreed to have a child with Hagar, he meddled with the agreement. One could say that Abraham’s decision to have a child with Hagar was an attempt to help God fulfill His word. Since the promised child wasn’t forthcoming, they decided to have a child anyhow. Although their strategy bore Ishmael, it backfired. Interestingly, we are like Abraham. Oftentimes, we begin our journey with God, with high hopes and commitment. But when things don’t work out as we expect, we allow doubt and other people’s opinion to get in the way. Please don’t sleep with “Hagar”. Wait on God!
Prayer: Lord Jesus, I will wait on you. Amen.
REFERENCES/FURTHER STUDY: Genesis 15:1-10; Genesis 16:1-3
Unless otherwise stated all scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version.