Thursday, October 10, 2019

Abram Agrees - Devotion on Genesis 16


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.

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