Patience

Genesis 16

New International Version (NIV)

Hagar and Ishmael

16 Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian slavenamed 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. ⁵ Then Sarai said to Abram, “You are responsible for the wrong I am suffering. I put my slave in your arms, and now that she knows she is pregnant, she despises me. May the Lord judge between you and me.”

⁶ “Your slave is in your hands,” Abram said. “Do with her whatever you think best.” Then Sarai mistreated Hagar; so she fled from her.

⁷ The angel of the Lord found Hagar near a spring in the desert; it was the spring that is beside the road to Shur. ⁸ And he said, “Hagar, slave of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?”

“I’m running away from my mistress Sarai,” she answered.

⁹ Then the angel of the Lord told her, “Go back to your mistress and submit to her.” ¹⁰ The angel added, “I will increase your descendants so much that they will be too numerous to count.”

Today's passage of scripture detailing the drama between Hagar and Sari, reminds us the need to have patience and brings to mind the saying God may not come when you call, but God is always right on time! Every time I read this scripture I am always amazed at how easily Abram agrees to lay with Hagar as a husband and a holy man. None the less Abram does lay with Hagar (Whom did not have a choice in the matter, after all she was considered property). Hagar conceives and God is not displeased with anyone of the three, instead God blesses Hagar with Ishmael and later on blesses Abram and Sari with Issac. So it makes you wonder was this part of God's plan all along?  In just ten short verses you see polygamy, rape, slavery, abuse and ultimately forgiveness.  If God did immediately forgave Abram and Sari, how much more will God forgive us if we ask. 

However I still would suggest waiting on God and having a little more patience. Be Well, Pastor Sirchester.