Devotion 125

GIVING GOD A HAND

 (S)o Sarai said to Avram, “Here now, Adonai has kept me from having children; so go in and sleep with my slave-girl. Maybe I’ll be able to have children through her.” Avram listened to what Sarai said. (Genesis 16:2)

I wonder how many of us become impatient, waiting for Yahveh to respond to our prayers and pleas? I wonder how we act, based on our impatience?

We read, in Genesis 16, of Sarah’s impatience with God’s deliverance on His promise to Avraham of the birth of his son, to inherit the promises made. At this time, Avraham was in his late 80s, and Sarah had not been able to bear children. Yet, Avraham had been told, as we read earlier in Genesis, he would be the ancestor, the patriarch of many nations. How could this be, without an heir?

This is where Sarah’s impatience grows. Believing herself to be infertile and wanting to help fulfill Yahveh’s pronouncement, Sarah offered her maid-servant to Avraham, with whom he could sire a son. Oh, the tzuris (trouble) this caused. For about 13 years, Sarah had to put up with the taunting of first Hagar, her servant, and then Yishma’el, her son. This is where the concept of unintended consequences comes into play.

When we do not trust Yahveh to fulfill His promises, we lose our hold on His Grace. Our lack of trust, signals to us the belief He is fallible and, therefore, we need to give Him a hand. What a ridiculous notion – ‘we need to give God a hand’. Do you see how ludicrous that is? And, yet, so many of us hold onto that premise, from time-to-time, especially when we are impatient and tired of waiting for Him.

In effect, we are putting ourselves on the same plane as the Ruler of the universe. Imagine, at that moment, we consider ourselves to be equal to God! Does that thought ever enter our minds, at the times we want to ‘give a helping hand’?

Beloved, when you have the desire to speed things along, especially when you know God has something planned for you, take a deep breath and focus on the magnificence of His power. At that moment you may quickly realize what you are doing. However, if you don’t, then prepare yourself for the ‘unintended consequences’ of your actions – for they will come.

CONSIDER: Are you ever impatient with Yahveh, for not meeting your needs, when you want them met? Do you believe that ‘giving God a hand’ is a viable option? I urge you to be careful, thinking you know what is best for you. Unintended consequences may bring you to places you had not anticipated.

ACT: Perhaps prayer might be a better option than walking ahead of the Ruler of the Universe. Face Him with your concerns and place them on His heavenly altar.

PRAY: Abba B’Shamayim, Father in Heaven, I lift my concerns to You. You know them better than I. You know how much I want, if not need, these issues to be addressed, and I cannot meet them myself. I need your help. Please, I beg You, walk with me and help me understand the need to wait for Your timing. In Your Beloved Name I pray.

May the God of Avraham, Isaac and Jacob bless you richly.