Genesis Chapter 16 - "WAIT" Is A Four Letter Word

When we fail to wait upon God, when we go ahead of His plan and His timing, we create nothing but trouble for ourselves as well as others. Waiting on God seems to be a hard lesson for us to learn. Waiting was Abram’s weakness also.

In this chapter we find that Abram and Sarai got impatient with God and devised their own plan to have descendants. Sarai offered her maidservant to Abram, giving into the customs of their day. Because it was such a disgrace for a woman not to give birth and provide heirs, she was often forced into using her female servant to produce children. Therefore the plan that Sarai and Abram came up with was not deviant from the norm of society, but it was out of line with God’s plan.

The norm of society…now there’s a wide open field to explore! The acceptance of alternate life styles is making homosexuality more popular than the old-fashioned idea of marriage between one man and one woman for a lifetime. Divorce no longer brings shame to anyone. In fact, friends and counselors often offer it as the best solution in a marital conflict. There are more children in schools today who come from blended families than from homes where their original mom and dad are still together.

What is the norm any more? How about the singles of society who decide they want to be a parent, but they do not have a spouse. No problem. Children from single parent homes may even outnumber those from blended families. How are children in our society even aware of God’s original plan for marriage? His plan is not the norm today. Pick and choose whatever lifestyle you want, and society will be taken to court if they stand in judgment of you. How far we have come from what God ordained back in the Garden of Eden: "...she shall be called ‘woman’ for she was taken out of man. For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh." (Gen. 1:23-24)

The failure of Abram and Sari to wait on God’s timing...to stick to God’s plan...has been a source of contention throughout the rest of history. The on-going conflict in Israel today stems from this one act of disobedience. Too bad Abram could not see into the future to realize what the decision to sleep with Hagar would cost his people.

Too bad we cannot see the future outcome of our choices today. Perhaps it would cause us to be more willing to live in absolute obedience to God. We need to learn to wait. Throughout scripture God tells His people to wait, and He speaks the same words to us today. "Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him." (Isaiah 64:4)

Abram slept with Hagar and she gave birth to a son named Ishmael. Of course this made Sarai angry. She basically devised the plan, then was the cause of her own grief and frustrations when the plan worked. However, she blamed the other two instead of accepting responsibility for her own actions. Hagar did not have any choice in this whole matter, and she ran away to escape Sarai’s anger.

How often do we try to run away from our problems? No matter how far we run, we cannot hide from God. He knows where we are at, and He offers to be with us and help us through our dilemma. God gave Hagar the promise of many descendants if she would return and be obedient in her service to her mistress. Hagar had no doubt that it was God Almighty speaking to her in her moment of despair. She called Him "The God Who Sees Me".

This same God is with us today. He has the answer for our problems if we are willing to face them squarely, change our attitude, and depend upon Him. Learning to wait on God is the key. "Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord." (Psalm 27:14)