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Ring of Truth provides 366 daily ‘proofs’ that the Bible is consistent throughout from Genesis to Revelation, and relevant for our lives today!
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Genesis 16:2
“So she [Sarai] 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 here epitomises most of us.
Abram didn’t spot it but the root of the problem was inherent. Listen to her words again. “Perhaps I can build a family…”
How often have we, as God’s people, said that? We look at the circumstances or we have an idea or an ego to pander to and so decide to do it “our way”, or do it in our own strength.
God takes too long. His timing is way ‘off-track’ from ours. He misses the opportunity. He doesn’t seem to agree with us. He even seems to have plans different from ours – so we try to do it anyway.
Oh yes – you can do it. God lets you do it.
Sometimes, what we do can seem absolutely terrific – it’s just that it is man-made and therefore doomed to failure, destruction or disaster.
As someone said – It’s amazing how much the church can achieve without the Holy Spirit. Remember the Tower of Babel?
Listen – Yes, God does allow it – God allowed Abram to become involved with Hagar on Sarai’s suggestion but it was never God’s plan. Surrogate motherhood is never right. (Ask Sarai.)
Listen – God says, “I know the plans I have for you” (Jeremiah 29:11). Never let Satan tempt you into moving outside of God’s plans.
As the Psalmist wrote, “Unless the Lord builds the house, they that build it labour in vain” (Psalm 127:1). You will never be able to achieve in your strength what God intends to do in His.
The life of faith is living in the present as if the future is already fact. In that way I have it already and thus do not need to strive to achieve it. Abram’s role was to keep having sexual intercourse with Sarai and leave the rest to God. That is how all babies are born.
We don’t ‘make babies’ or ‘build’ families, God does. No matter how much the world tells you that you control your body – God is still the One who ‘makes’ babies.
Faith is letting God do what He wants to do how He wants to do it and when He wants to do it. Our job is to believe He will do it, in His way, in His time, and in the meantime, to stop striving and keep believing and trusting for Him to make it happen.
Otherwise you could end up with an Ishmael on your hands and a perpetual ‘Arab-Israeli conflict’.
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