“…Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
Matthew 11:28
Think About It
How many times have you heard or said the words, “But you don’t understand.” While it is true that we can go through things that people don’t understand, there is no situation too complicated for Jesus. He said, “…Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). That does not mean that the problems will go away, but He can help us through the situation. If you don’t believe me, go to the Father.
Go to the Father
Abram, whose name was later changed to Abraham, had two sons with two different women. Some might argue that this was too messy for God, but Abraham received his inheritance through the birth of his children. Think about it. God promised to make Abram a “great nation” before he ever had one child (Genesis 12). As time passed, his wife, Sarai, whose name was later changed to Sarah, did not believe she could have children because she was beyond childbearing years, so she came up with a plan. She gave her servant, Hagar, to her husband so that she could become his wife and conceive a child with him on her behalf. Sarai said, “… It may be that I shall obtain children by her” (Genesis 16:2). In other words, Sarai planned to use Hagar’s body to produce children she could raise as her own. No one asked Hagar. She did not have a say in the situation. She was an Egyptian servant with no rights. After Hagar became pregnant, Sarai noticed that their relationship changed. She said, “…When she saw she had conceived, she looked [at] me with contempt”(Genesis 16:5). Imagine that! When Sarai told Abram about this, he said, “Behold, your servant is in your power; do to her as you please” (Genesis 16:6). As a result, Sarai treated Hagar harshly, so she ran away from her.
As I think about Hagar, my social justice heart wants to advocate for her and the unborn child. This is not a good situation to bring a baby into the world. First of all, as an Egyptian servant, she did not ask to become pregnant by Abram, and she had to flee from an abusive home. As far as I am concerned, she needs to get as far away from Abram and Sarai as possible because they are clearly toxic. With that being said, God had a different plan for Hagar. The Lord sent an angel who told her to return and submit to Sarai. Wait!!!What?!?! Can you believe that? God called her to submit to a process that seems impossible to bear, but I wanted her to go as far away from them as possible.
So, does that make me more compassionate than God? Does it make you more compassionate than God? No! Let me repeat that. NO! He’s God! God’s love is unconditional, and Hagar had a chance to experience that love for herself. He did not leave her in the wilderness alone, and He did not send her back empty-handed. When the angel appeared, he sent her back with a promise of inheritance from God. The angel of the Lord said to her, “I will surely multiply your offspring so that they cannot be numbered for multitude. And the angel of the Lord said to her, “Behold, you are pregnant and shall bear a son. You shall call his name Ishmael, because the Lord has listened to your affliction.”
When people come to us, we need to let them know God has not forgotten them. Sometimes He wants to shower us with love, grace, and mercy in the midst of our storms. Think about it! Hagar ran away from a bad situation, but the angel of the Lord told her to return to her mistress, Sarai, only she didn’t return the same. When she left, she thought her mistress, Sarai, was in control, but she returned with a newfound revelation that God was in control. She didn’t question His goodness. She didn’t question why bad things happened to her. Hagar said, “You are a God of seeing…Truly here I have seen him who looks after me” (Genesis 16:13). For the record, God still looks after us. He still hears our cries. Hagar is proof of that. She received an inheritance through the birth of her son, Ishmael. His name means “God hears.”
Later, God blessed Abraham and Sarah with their son, Isaac. God established his covenant with Abraham through his son Isaac; however, His love, grace, and mercy extended beyond the covenant. He blessed his son Ishmael by promising that he would become a great nation. In other words, Abraham received an inheritance from God through the birth of Ishmael and Isaac, as detailed in Genesis 16, 17, and 21. This is important. Whether it’s Ishmael or Isaac, we have to pray for God’s will to be done. Make no mistake, God could have ended Hagar’s pregnancy at any time., but He blessed her with Ishmael just as He blessed Sarah with Isaac. Therefore, we can’t forfeit our inheritance from God because our current circumstances seem impossible. Nothing is impossible for God! It’s His inheritance to give or take away. Again, we don’t need heroes and heroines to create safe spaces so we can feel good about giving away our inheritances. We need our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. (I’m talking to my brothers and sisters in Christ right now). Think about it. Then go to the Father and pray about it.
#Soul Searching with Our Father#
