Genesis

The key element missing from Sarai's solution was her faith. She was impatient to have the promise fulfilled. She decided to act on her own rather than continue to trust in God's promise. Her weakened faith led her to resolve the situation her way rather than God's way.

We sometimes take the same attitude. We know that God promises to hear our prayers and care for us as His children, however, in our incomplete or imperfect faith we seek our own solution or grow impatient for any solution to our needs. Unfortunately, in this condition we are seeking "My will" rather than "Thy will."

She violated God's will that marriage was an exclusive relationship between the husband and wife. Sarai brought in Hagar which was against God's will.

Sarai violated God's will by taking charge of the situation herself in seeking a worldly solution rather than a godly one. She doubted God's promise because it was different than her understanding of the natural way of conceiving and delivering a child.

God's plan for marriage is an exclusive relationship between a man and a woman. We must not bring others into this intimate relationship, no matter the circumstances.

Furthermore, we must allow God to work things out for us. We contribute but rely on His will to guide us. We must not impose our will over God's will. One of the results of the Spirit acting in our lives is patience (Galatians 5:22).

Sarai did not trust or obey God in her actions. This indicated a weak, to almost non-existent faith.

Although we don't have a direct statement in Genesis 16 about Hagar's faith, we can see its evidence. First, she obeyed the angel of the Lord when instructed to return to Sarai. She also obeyed the command to name her son, Ishmael. Her statement in verse 13 shows a belief and trust in God, key components of faith.

Sometimes in our lives we also take matters into our own hands rather than seek God's will. When this happens, it results in disaster at some point in time. As with Sarai, God has a wonderful way of taking a situation and redirecting it back to His will. We might not see this in the consequences of our mistakes, but the more we continue to seek God's will, the more evident it will become that God continues to use us for His purpose.

God gave Abram a new identity by changing his name to Abraham. The new name aligns with God's promise to Abraham by its meaning; "Father of a multitude."

• It would identify those that were part of the promise to Abraham.
• It represented a complete enclosure of God's will.
• It was a sign of faith on the part those involved.
• It was a reminder to the man that every part of his body belonged to God.
• It was a sign of being set apart for God's purpose.

We must submit to God's will, not ours. God is our creator and savior and knows what is best for us. Although we may not understand God's will in a situation, we know that it is in God's will that we are sanctified, live pure lives and love our brother (I Thessalonians 4:1-11). Sanctified means being set aside. We are sanctified today through our baptism. The practice of circumcision was symbolic of our baptism today (Colossians 2:11 – an expression of faith).

As we submit to God's will, we express our humility as faithful servants to God. This clears the way for God to use our lives in ways beyond our limited imagination. We do not know God's timeline so we must develop the patience necessary to sustain our faith. We know God will act according to His will and His time.