It’s Complicated, But He Sees Me!
Genesis 16:1-4 (NIV)
Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian slave named Hagar; 2 so she said to Abram, “The LORD has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my slave; perhaps I can build a family through her.” Abram agreed to what Sarai said.
3 So after Abram had been living in Canaan ten years, Sarai his wife took her Egyptian slave Hagar and gave her to her husband to be his wife. 4 He slept with Hagar, and she conceived. When she knew she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress.
In life, we will have periods when we will have to deal with the effects of our decisions. Sometimes, we get impatient with the process and we put our hands on it to manipulate it. We will get in trouble every time. God’s reply to us is take your hands off!
Observation 1: Don’t Jump to Conclusions Before Consulting the Lord.
Vs. 1-2
- Impatience and a lack of faith will cause you to make terrible mistakes.
- Sarai was out of order because she did not consult God or her husband. Abram was also out of order because he repeated the same act of disobedience as Adam. They excluded God from their plans.
- Things get complicated when our plans don’t match God’s will.
- Think about the outcome before you make a final decision. (You may not like the results)
- It may be possible that God does not fulfill a promise because you may not be fully prepared.
Observation 2: Don’t Despise the Results of Your Actions.
Vs. 3-9
- While you are living between the promise and manifestation, you must ask yourself, “Can I live with the decisions that will impact my future? Sarai was not ready!
- Your actions have to potential to create conflict for the entirety of your life.
- Don’t allow the pressure of life events allow you to become indifferent. (Abram’s attitude and lack of leadership did not help the situation)
- Running from the issue will not change the situation.
- Be careful to not pass your hostility and dysfunction to your children.
- Hagar fulfilled destiny despite the dysfunction she was invited into.
Observation 3: Hold on To the Promise Even When It Looks Like All Is Lost.
Vs. 9-11
- Why? Because He sees you!
- God will get into your complicated situation and give you a way of escape and correction.
- Hagar found herself in an uncomfortable situation, but the Lord heard her cry and her agony.
- Hagar learned to submit to the process.
- When you submit, God will visit you! He’ll tell you how to act and how to respond in the middle of a mess.
- God Will allow your issues to become a blessing.
- When you respond in faith, God will reveal himself and give you instructions for your next.
- God has the ability to change your place of trouble and sanctify it.
- God will create a supernatural situation in order for you to believe that He can fulfill it!
- God will encourage you in the middle of a dysfunctional situation.
- Why? Because He sees the best in us even when we mess up!
