Genesis 16:1-3

"Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had not been able to bear children for him. But she had an Egyptian servant named Hagar. So Sarai said to Abram, 'The LORD has prevented me from having children. Go and sleep with my servant. Perhaps I can have children through her.' And Abram agreed with Sarai's proposal. So Sarai, Abram's wife, took Hagar the Egyptian servant and gave her to Abram as a wife. (This happened ten years after Abram had settled in the land of Canaan.)"

 

Sarai (and perhaps Abram too) was tired of waiting for God to fulfill his promise, so she took things into her own hands. Abram went along. (Where is his faith now? Perhaps he rationalized that Sarai's plan was how God would fulfill the promise.) At any rate, there's no hint here that either Sarai or Abram sought God for his way of fulfilling the promise, or for his perspective on Sarai's idea. How might you be taking things into your own hands rather than seeking God's way?

Proverbs 3:13-16

"Joyful is the person who finds wisdom,
the one who gains understanding.
For wisdom is more profitable than silver,
and her wages are better than gold.
Wisdom is more precious than rubies;
nothing you desire can compare with her.
She offers you long life in her right hand,
and riches and honor in her left."

 

People think they need riches to be happy, but these verses say you need wisdom to be happy. In fact, you need wisdom to be rich! Wisdom is more precious than the most valuable material wealth. Wisdom profits you more financially than a big bank account. When you consider how to train your children about money, or if you face financial difficulties yourself, focus on wisdom. All good things flow from possessing wisdom. And the only source of that is God and his word. Wisdom is his perspective on everything. How can you go wrong with that?

Matthew 6:9-13

"Pray like this:
Our Father in heaven,
   may your name be kept holy.
   May your Kingdom come soon.
May your will be done on earth,
   as it is in heaven.
Give us today the food we need,
   and forgive us our sins,
   as we have forgiven those who sin against us.
And don't let us yield to temptation,
   but rescue us from the evil one.'"

 

This prayer can become the pattern for all prayer. First, the focus is on God—who he is (our Father), where he is (in heaven, the perfect place). It's about his kingdom and his will, to be done on earth as it is in the perfect place. Once we have the proper focus, then we ask for material needs (which are legitimate), and also our spiritual needs (just as important). Our main spiritual needs are forgiveness and deliverance from temptation and evil. The template: God's agenda, our needs (physical and spiritual), and relationships with God and others.

Genesis 17:15-16

"Then God said to Abraham, 'Regarding Sarai, your wife—her name will no longer be Sarai. From now on her name will be Sarah. And I will bless her and give you a son from her! Yes, I will bless her richly, and she will become the mother of many nations. Kings of nations will be among her descendants.'"

 

When God made his covenant with Abraham, he also made it with Sarah. God treated her with equal honor, changing her name, too, saying she would be the mother of many nations and kings would descend from her, just as he promised Abraham. She too was a key part of God's grand plan. From the beginning of God's plan, woman was an equal partner with the man. Male and female God made us, and male and female are called to participate in God's work. Never shortchange yourself if you're female. God doesn't.

Genesis 17:1-6

"When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, 'I am El-Shaddai—"God Almighty." Serve me faithfully and live a blameless life. I will make a covenant with you, by which I will guarantee to give you countless descendants.'

"At this, Abram fell face down on the ground. Then God said to him, 'This is my covenant with you: I will make you the father of a multitude of nations! What's more, I am changing your name. It will no longer be Abram. Instead, you will be called Abraham, for you will be the father of many nations. I will make you extremely fruitful. Your descendants will become many nations, and kings will be among them!'"

 

Abram's humanly given name meant "exalted father." The focus was on him. (The irony is that he was barely even a father!) God's new name for Abram, Abraham, meant "father of many." The shift in identity goes from Abram himself to Abraham as a participant in God's great plan. When we come into a relationship with Jesus, he too gives us a new identity: child of God. We too become part of God's huge plan for the redemption of the world. Are you excited yet? Remember, you have a new identity and purpose!

Genesis 16:9-14

"The angel of the LORD said to [Hagar], 'Return to your mistress, and submit to her authority.' Then he added, 'I will give you more descendants than you can count.'

"And the angel also said, 'You are now pregnant and will give birth to a son. You are to name him Ishmael (which means "God hears"), for the LORD has heard your cry of distress. This son of yours will be a wild man, as untamed as a wild donkey! He will raise his fist against everyone, and everyone will be against him. Yes, he will live in open hostility against all his relatives.'

"Thereafter, Hagar used another name to refer to the LORD, who had spoken to her. She said, 'You are the God who sees me.' She also said, 'Have I truly seen the One who sees me?' So that well was named Beer-lahai-roi (which means 'well of the Living One who sees me'). It can still be found between Kadesh and Bered."

 

There is yet more to glean about grace from this story of Hagar. Note that after God revealed himself to her as the God who sees her, she focused on that revelation and must have told others about it. After all, a well was named after her words, and the story has been passed down to this day. And why did God reveal what kind of man Ishmael would turn out to be? Could it be so that she wouldn't blame herself or anyone else for how he turned out? The subject of grace is sprinkled throughout her story. Revel in it, as Hagar did.

Genesis 16:6b-11, 13

"Then Sarai treated Hagar so harshly that she finally ran away.
"The angel of the LORD found Hagar beside a spring of water in the wilderness, along the road to Shur. The angel said to her, 'Hagar, Sarai's servant, where have you come from, and where are you going?'
"'I'm running away from my mistress, Sarai,' she replied.
"The angel of the LORD said to her, 'Return to your mistress, and submit to her authority.' Then he added, 'I will give you more descendants than you can count.'
And the angel also said, 'You are now pregnant and will give birth to a son. You are to name him Ishmael (which means "God hears"), for the LORD has heard your cry of distress.…'
"Thereafter, Hagar used another name to refer to the LORD, who had spoken to her. She said, 'You are the God who sees me.' She also said, 'Have I truly seen the One who sees me?'"

 

When the angel appeared to Hagar, he asked her two questions. She could only answer one. She had no idea where she was going; in fact she had nowhere to go. The angel told her where she needed to go: back to the difficult situation. Now everything would be different. Now she knew that the Lord was with her—the Lord whom she ever after referred to as "the One who sees me." He had a plan. God both sees and hears you, too. He has a plan. That makes all the difference.