Rushing God

Genesis 16

Rushing God

Today, there are between 1.6 and 2 billion muslims in the world, depending on what source you check; making it the second largest religion in the world. Imagine, between 1.6 and 2 billion people who don’t know the Lord, terribly deceived by a false religion; largely, some suggest, because of 1 man and 1 woman who couldn’t wait on the Lord.

In almost every country where Islam is the major religion, Christians are persecuted; because 1 man and 1 woman didn’t wait on the Lord.

Today, Israel is surrounded by 4 countries, Lebanon to the north, Syria to the east, Jordan to the south east, and Egypt to the South west. Most of these countries have pledged to destroy Israel; all because 1 man and 1 woman wouldn’t wait on the Lord.

It can be difficult, knowing what to do sometimes. Do you stay where you are and wait for the Lord to work, or do you take that new job, with much better pay, that requires you to uproot your family and travel across the country, leaving all of the things and all of the people you and your family know?

You’re getting a bit older. Things haven’t worked exactly like you had hoped and you are still single. The person you’re seeing doesn’t really make the Lord a priority in his life. Do you continue in that relationship when your friends and family have some concerns, or do you let him go and wait for someone with a few less flags?

If you really work hard at your side job, you think you can make it into something that down the road might support you; but in order to make that happen, it means you’ll have to miss some of your families outings and special days for the next couple of years and your children will only be young once. What do you do?

You and your spouse have finally got your finances balanced. They aren’t working great, but they are working. You’ve agreed that you’re not going to go into debt anymore until you get a bit more of a cushion in the bank; but, a friend is selling his car and is willing to make you a great deal on it; houses are going up everywhere, but a family member is selling there’s and is willing to sell it to you for less than it’s worth.

Sometimes it gets hard to know the right thing in life, sometimes choosing the right path can be difficult, but, if we rush and try to make things happen when the Lord isn’t leading, it can not only impact our lives, but hurt those around us as well.

This morning I would like us to look at the dangers of rushing God, of trying to make something happen where God is not leading.

- Read Genesis 16

In a perfect world, choices are not difficult. In a perfect world, God’s will is known perfectly and clearly. In a perfect world, as soon as we first get an inkling that the Lord may be leading us in a certain direction, the door is opened, the way is clear, and the path is obvious. But, this is not a perfect world, and the Lord works according to His timetable and according to His will, not our’s. He often gives us a foreshadowing of what is to come, but waits to open doors until our hearts are right and He has things aligned the way He wants them.

We see that in this situation. Let’s think of Abram’s struggle.

I. ABRAM’S STRUGGLE

- Read Genesis 15:4-6

God had promised Abram that He would be the father of many nations. Then He took Abram outside and told him to count the stars. He said, “Count them if you can, and your descendants shall be more numerous than all of them.”

That is some promise. Count the stars if you can Abram, and I’m going to give you more descendants than all of them.

And poor, little Abram didn’t have any more sense than to believe the Lord.

Abram believed God, and the Bible says, the Lord credited that belief to Abram as righteousness.

Abram believed God. Anything God wolf him directly, specifically and clearly, Abram believed. Abram, I’m going to make you the father of many nations. Abram, I’m going to make your descendants so numerous you won’t be able to count them all. And Abram believed Him. Abram believed God.

What a great accomplishment it would be if more of us could reach even that stage of faith, to believe the Lord when He tells us something clearly, and plainly.

Now, something God did not specifically say or explain was how He was going to do that. He didn’t specifically say, yet, I’m going to make you the father of many nations and Sarai will be the mother. He didn’t specifically say that. He promised the kids would have Abram’s DNA, but He didn’t yet promise they would have Sarai’s.