City Life Starter

Written by Calah Jackson

The Word

Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. She had a female Egyptian servant whose name was Hagar. ² And Sarai said to Abram, “Behold now, the Lord has prevented me from bearing children. Go in to my servant; it may be that I shall obtain children by her.” And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai. ³ So, after Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her servant, and gave her to Abram her husband as a wife. ⁴ And he went in to Hagar, and she conceived. And when she saw that she had conceived, she looked with contempt on her mistress. ⁵ And Sarai said to Abram, “May the wrong done to me be on you! I gave my servant to your embrace, and when she saw that she had conceived, she looked on me with contempt. May the Lord judge between you and me!” ⁶ But Abram said to Sarai, “Behold, your servant is in your power; do to her as you please.” Then Sarai dealt harshly with her, and she fled from her.

Genesis 16:1-6 (ESV)

“Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!”

Psalm 37:7

“But for you, O LORD, do I wait; it is you, O Lord my God, who will answer”

Psalm 38:15

“For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience”

Romans 8:24-25

Reflection

I have found myself sharing the perspective of Sarai many times in my life. Knowing full well that God’s promises are sure yet wavering in believing that He sees me and wants to use me to accomplish His purpose. I can imagine the fear that drove her to drum up her very own backup plan when the timing of this heir being born didn’t quite make sense to her. Her body was old, her faith like sifting sands, and her perspective of God lackluster. And as ironic as it was that the was upset about her backup plan “working” I can still imagine the thoughts that must have flooded her mind, “so God will work His plan out… He just doesn’t want to use me.”

How many times has the voice of deception clouded the truth of who God truly is in the hearts and minds of humans? Rejecting the truth about who God is leaves us grasping at straws trying to force a plan of our own because we just don’t trust God at His word. It may be relatable but the truth is that unbelief, that feeling that God isn’t enough, it’s sin.

Even though Sarai ultimately wanted to see God’s purpose fulfilled, her hope wasn’t ultimately in Him, it was the thing that was meant to reflect His glory. She was also distracted by thinking God wasn’t good enough her because her body was old. But because God is gracious, her disbelief didn’t thwart His ability to accomplish His plan.

Application

What would our lives look like if we trusted God at His word? Don’t you believe that it would change the perspective of those around us if you and I were people who were wonderful at waiting? If we were people who enjoyed expecting God to move instead of anxiously hoping for it like we were unsure if it would happen at all?

How much sweeter would it be to look back on a season of “waiting” and know you didn’t create a makeshift backup plan based in fear but instead trusted that God’s way was truly better? How much more beautiful would the promised land be if we savored the provision in the wilderness? How much more would we cherish our risen Savior if our faith wasn’t shaken by death and the tomb?

I think it would glorify God. It would make much of Him and it would diminish the hold that the kingdom of darkness has on our minds. It would flood light into forgotten spaces and germinate seeds of dreams, assurances, and hope. Trusting God at His word, waiting wonderfully, would be feasting on the tree of life instead of choosing our own way.

So what do you choose today?

Prayer

Lord, help my unbelief. As You are moving and working things for Your purpose help me to take You at your word. To stand securely on who You are knowing that You are fully worthy of my trust. Help me to wait well. Help me to look for You in the wilderness. Help me to see with eyes of faith. Holy Spirit, comfort me when fear tries to creep in. Fix my eyes on the empty tomb so I lean into Your blessed assurance.

In the name of Jesus, amen.