Seize the Moment – Day 399
Patience Wins the Day!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Tuesday, April 20.
Have you ever taken matters into your own hands, only to make the situation worse?
That is exactly what happens in Genesis 16 and humanity is still dealing with the effects of this ancient couple’s impatience. The same is true in our lives—a momentary decision to take matters into our own hands can have an unexpected ripple effect.
The heart of the issue is trust! Abram and Sarai became impatient with God to keep His promise to provide a child for them, so Sarai invites her husband to be with Hagar the Egyptian, her handmaid, in hopes of her conceiving the child. They took matters into their own hands!
It worked, but at what cost? Their sin manifested in a broken community and marital strain. Their mistrust of God led to mistrust in one another.
Genesis 16:5-6 records the immediate effects:
And Sarai said to Abram, “May the wrong done me be upon you. I gave my maid into your arms, but when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her sight. May the Lord judge between you and me.” But Abram said to Sarai, “Behold, your maid is in your power; do to her what is good in your sight.” So Sarai treated her harshly, and she fled from her presence.
Hollywood has nothing on this epic story! This is soap opera material and it all comes down to this basic human issue: trust! Patience is the good fruit of our faith in God to do what He says He will do and to wait upon Him and learn that He is God and to remember that we are not.
Seize the moment and wait on God! This will save you a lot of headaches now and you never know how much heartache you will save your family, church, and community.