Day Seventeen. January 26. Galatians 4:21-31
Oh, this section of scripture is convicting to me! As I remember Sarah’s little solution to the problem of no children between her and Abraham, I see how logical it must have seemed to them. They were getting too old to have kids and let’s face it. It hadn’t been just years without a child, it had been decades. She’d given up all hope. And yet, she loved her husband, and he was kinda counting on a big, huge promise from God that they were going to be parents of a nation. Impossible, thinks Sarah. So when Sarah creates her own solution to the problem, dragging poor Hagar into the mix, Abraham goes along with it. I mean … how long were they supposed to wait? You know, I’ve been there. I’ve been in places where to continue to do the right thing just seems to be a terrible idea. I want to hurry things along and fix a mess with my own solution, ignoring any rules God has given.
Here’s a recent example from my life. Ray surprised me with a beautiful and expensive pair of earrings this past Christmas. He never does that. He was so sweetly nervous watching me open the gift, hoping I’d like them. I loved them! They were chosen with such care to match my wedding band set. And then, the second time I wore them, one of the earrings fell out who-knows-where and was lost. Here’s the thing. I did not want to tell my husband the truth. I had lost one very beautiful pink star sapphire earring. So, I tried to find it. Then I tried to figure out where he had purchased it so I could perhaps re-buy it. And all the time, the Spirit within me was reminding me that I needed to simply tell Ray the truth. And I didn’t want to. But, of course, I finally did and he still loves me. Haha! I wasted quite a few days dithering about, trying to create a solution, instead of simply telling Ray what happened. It turns out he bought these earrings for 70% off, so they weren’t as expensive as I thought, and we will now replace them as my birthday present if they ever go on sale again!
How about you? Are you tempted to take the easier way out instead of doing what God wants? Abraham and Sarah’s disobedience resulted in such a mess. Hagar was given a son – sort of – but he was really just Abraham’s until Sarah had Isaac and then he was not wanted. God saw Hagar in her distress and saved her and her son when they were kicked out, but the truth is, they were not the plan. God’s plan was for Isaac to be the child of the promise. Isaac, born so late in their lives they named him Laughter (which is what Isaac means)! The child who did go on to marry and from his marriage a nation did emerge, generation by generation. God does things in His own time. We need to march to His drumbeat and not our own or we will seriously disrupt the parade!
In this illustration, Paul reminds the believers in Galatia that they are children of the promise. They inherited eternal life and they have the gift of the Holy Spirit within them. They do not have to act like slaves. They are free. They have the privilege of being a part of God’s perfect fulfillment of His plan. Why would they go back to a lesser way?
My verse: Galatians 4:23a “The son of the slave wife was born in a human attempt to bring about the fulfillment of God’s promise.”
My response: Oh Father! Waiting is hard. And Abraham and Sarah had waited so long. Yet the answer was not to fix it themselves. Forgive me for the many times I attempt to “fix it myself” instead of staying a place of expectant, trusting waiting. Thy will be done. Your timing is perfect.
