My Own Plans or God’s

By Venessa Holtzhausen

Gen 16:1 Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had not borne him children. But she had an Egyptian slave-girl—her name was Hagar.
Gen 16:2 So Sarai said to Abram, “Look now, Adonai has prevented me from having children. Go, please, to my slave-girl. Perhaps I’ll get a son by her.” Abram listened to Sarai’s voice.

Abram had the promise of a son and Sara is the impatient. In this chapter Sara made the suggestion to Abram to have a son by Hagar.

Time had passes since Genesis 15:4. In keeping with the common custom, Sara suggests that Avram go in and sleep with Hagar and that way she will have children through her slave-girl. At that time it was acceptable, if a man’s wife was childless, for him to take his wife’s servant as a concubine, who would then bear children on her behalf.

The only problem is, that God had already made a covenant with Abram, and the covenant that He made was one that said: if I break this covenant, let it be done unto me as this torn animals. God literally swore by Himself to keep this covenant. Thus, the promise of having a son was sealed in God’s eyes.

But, like our human beings, we just cannot wait for God to bring His promises to fulfilment. So, Sara made a plan and in the same chapter she was upset with Hagar and treated her harshly. Her plan backfired.

In this world everybody needs to take action quickly, but our God says:

Psa 37:5 Commit your way to Adonai. Trust in Him, and He will do it.

Amen!