Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus.

Genesis 16:1-6The Message (MSG)

16 1-2 Sarai, Abram’s wife, hadn’t yet produced a child.

She had an Egyptian maid named Hagar. Sarai said to Abram, “God has not seen fit to let me have a child. Sleep with my maid. Maybe I can get a family from her.” Abram agreed to do what Sarai said.

3-4 So Sarai, Abram’s wife, took her Egyptian maid Hagar and gave her to her husband Abram as a wife. Abram had been living ten years in Canaan when this took place. He slept with Hagar and she got pregnant. When Hagar learned she was pregnant, she looked down on her mistress.

5 Sarai told Abram, “It’s all your fault that I’m suffering this abuse. I put my maid in bed with you and the minute she knows she’s pregnant, she treats me like I’m nothing. May God decide which of us is right.”

6 “You decide,” said Abram. “Your maid is your business.”

Sarai was abusive to Hagar and Hagar ran away.

At this point in the story of Abram and Sarai God has called them away from home and promised two very important things for a man of that day:  1) Offspring as numerous as the stars in the sky 2) Lots of land, fertile and vast.  The majority of the time Abram is extremely trusting of God, as is Sarai.  When it comes to offspring, though he has a bit of fear that God will not come through on God's promise.  Abram is old, after all...and Sarai isn't getting any younger.  

In a small group on Wednesday nights we have been reading Genesis all semester. We just read this portion of the story and I must admit it is so much fun to watch as students react to the crazy things taking place as God's journey with God's people begins.  We just read about Lot, Lot's wife, and his crazy daughters only to land here with Sarai saying one thing and then being overtaken with jealousy and anger about the outcome of her decision.

I imagine that there are some men out there who are thinking some of us women still act a lot like Sarai!  She gave her servant to her husband in order that an heir be born, yet when he did as he was told she began to hate the situation, hate her servant and pretty much blame it on her husband.  This Biblical soap-opera is caused not only because of doubt in God's promise, but also because Sarai took the matter into her own hands.  Sarai had a solution, or so she thought, but she had no idea the toll it would take or how the consequences would effect all involved.  

It's easy to think "I got this" when confronted by a difficult test of patience.  It often feels easier to do something ourselves, our way, rather than allow someone else the opportunity.  God was faithful to the covenant He made with Abram, but not on the timeline that Sarai desired.  Abram knew and trusted in God, yet went along with Sarai's plan.  Often, taking matters into our own hands prevents us from realizing the power of God's timing.  Sometimes I think God is just asking us to wait for the details to fall into place.  Often it is in the waiting that we learn the most.  

Are there "things" in your life that you really want to control?  Are there places where God is telling you to wait, yet promising to be faithful to you? The challenge is for us not to turn into Sarai, but to open ourselves fully to the movement of the Spirit in our lives (which doesn't always do exactly as we think it might!)

Prayer:  Dear God, so often I am like Sarai, wanting to control.  So often I am like Abram and go along with the rush of the world failing to see how quickly I turn from your faithful promise in my life.  I pray that you would help me to let go of my desire to control, that I might live fully into Your promise of faithfulness.  Amen.