Genesis 16 – 18
What impresses me about the stories found in these chapters is that God is not put off by disbelief. Both Abraham and Sarah questioned God’s promise that she would bear a son. Sarah took matters into her own hands and tried to manipulate people and circumstances in order to give Abraham that son. Abraham agreed to the plan. While God remained faithful to his promise he did not eliminate the problems that occurred as a result of Abraham and Sarah’s choices. He required them to live with the consequences. The details given regarding interactions between Sarah and her handmaiden Hagar would indicate that there was a fair measure of drama in the household after Sarah set her plan in place. Unfortunately, the drama didn’t end with them and their children. It spiraled out to touch future generations.
I’m reminded that my actions are not contained in a personal bubble. The affects of my choices can be far reaching. God will keep his promises. He will work his plan in spite my disbelieving and meddlesome actions. However, he will not erase the effects of those actions. I will live with them and so will all those in my sphere of present and future influence.
I am challenged to refuse to wallow in my mistakes. God is able to work around them. I am also challenged to wait on God and allow him to orchestrate my life because it is my short sighted and ego-centric action that puts me in the position of facing my failures. To wait is to choose God’s best rather than experience the good that he can create out of the chaos I cause.
In short, meddlesome disbelief is not a problem for God. He will accomplish his purposes. For you and me, it is a completely different story! It is time to stop meddling and live life as God intends for us to live.
