Scripture: Genesis 16:1-2
Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no
children. But she had an Egyptian slave named Hagar; 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.
I don’t know how good-looking Hagar was, but Abram
seems very willing to go along with Sarai’s plan. It makes me wonder how easy
it is for us to be convinced to take part in a less than godly activity. If
someone proposes something that sounds like a good idea and makes sense from a
human point of view, is it easy for you to go along with it? Or are you more
cautious and take a step back to ask the Lord what He thinks? It seems that
neither Sarai nor Abram did much praying over this decision.
And though Sarai may have been suggesting this
plan of action out of pure motives – to help her family –it still reminds me a
lot of the scene between the serpent and Eve, and between Eve and Adam. Were
Adam and Eve secretly wanting to give in to the temptation, and that’s why they
were so easy to convince? Did Abram find the idea of taking another woman so
pleasurable that He didn’t want to ask God’s opinion? Did he consider this possibility
of finally having children so expedient that he didn’t want to wait to see if
God had another idea?
Pray that the Lord gives you a pure and steadfast
heart so that you won’t be swayed by temptations disguised as smart-sounding
opportunities. Ask Him to give you a mind filled with wisdom to see through the
mistaken “logic” of human ideas. Ask the Holy Spirit to be your inspiration and
guide, leading you toward His plan from the beginning so that you can recognize
the false paths others set in front of you.
Our good Father will show you the way if you wait
on Him.
- - -
Find your next reading on my Devotions page!
No comments:
Post a Comment