ON THE VANGUARD

DON'T MESS IT UP
"Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar; so she said to Abram, 'The LORD has kept me from having children. Go sleep with my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family through her.' Abram agreed to what Sarai said."
Genesis 16:1-2

Sometimes when I write these devotionals I am triggered by a word or phrase I hear in a song or read in a book. At other times I am inspired by a memory or something going on in my life. It is in these times that God begins to work through that avenue, whatever it is, to prompt me into what is next. And sometimes in these moments of prompting, God shares with me a nugget concerning my future. But it is only a nugget, never anything more. In feeling and seeing these nuggets lately I have come to a point where I am asking God, "Why so little? Why not show me or tell me everything?" It’s funny how we can hear God if we really listen.
I know the answer, even if I do not always want to admit it. The answer is because I would find a way to mess it up. I would follow the steps of Abraham and walk right onto the path of my trying to be God and take matters into my own hand. Take a look at his life with me. In Genesis 15, Abraham, at that time still called Abram, spoke with God about his family line. He was concerned that should he pass, he had no son to give his wealth to. Hearing this heartfelt cry, God responded, "Look up at the heavens and count the stars - if indeed you can count them. So shall your offspring be" (Gen 15:5). God was showing Abraham his future, sharing with him a promise of what was to come.
But like us, Abraham got antsy. Here he was with promise in hand, but time was slipping away from him. When was this promise going to become real? When would the family start being birthed. Years were slipping out of reach and he wasn't getting any younger. Then an idea came about. Sarah, Sarai at this time, offered her maidservant to Abraham so that he could perhaps build a family with her. I laugh at this knowing the outcome, but wonder if I too would have done what Abraham did. Abraham agreed (Gen 16:2). He agreed, slept with Hagar, and a child was born. But the child was a child of contention and eventually both Hagar and Ishmael were forced out from the camp. God had plans for Abraham to have a family, but he stepped out before God. His playing God became his error.
When the time was right, when God deemed it right, Isaac was born. Finally Abraham was holding his heir, his son, his promise. The promise came with lessons spanned over twenty five years, but still it came. And this should be hope for us. You see, there are times when God tells us something and gives us a peek at the promise. But that does not give us the right to play God and force more. It is in these times that we must sit back and allow God to teach us the things we too need to learn so that we do not mess it up. Our promise too will only come when God deems the time. Do not give up on the promise, though. Hold on to it, but let God bring the fullness in his time.
I end today with perhaps an example from my own life. Following my divorce I questioned my next steps in life. I hunkered down with God for a few years, after trying my hand once more at dating, and found that God had a plan still for me. Little by little, as I allowed myself to heal, God began to give more nuggets. Three years back, the nugget He gave me was that I would be married again. He didn’t tell me how I would meet her, what she would look like, or where she would live. He only told me that I would marry again. I could have played God and forced something to happen, but it would have only made a mess. Instead, I waited on Him like He asked of me until, one day, we crossed paths. On June 8, only days from now, I will marry this woman that I know God has picked out for me. I say all this to point out that when we do it God’s way, it cannot be messed up.