When God Doesn't Make Sense

Scripture – Genesis 16:5-10: Then Sarai said to Abram, “You are responsible for the wrong I am suffering. I put my servant in your arms, and now that she knows she is pregnant, she despises me. May the LORD judge between you and me.” “Your servant is in your hands,” Abram said. “Do with her whatever you think best.” Then Sarai mistreated Hagar; so she fled from her. The angel of the LORD found Hagar near a spring in the desert; it was the spring that is beside the road to Shur. And he said, “Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?” “I’m running away from my mistress Sarai,” she answered. Then the angel of the LORD told her, “Go back to your mistress and submit to her.” The angel added, “I will so increase your descendants that they will be too numerous to count.”

Observation – (Write down what you see in the scripture.) Abram must have been quite confused. How was this his fault? Anyway, Hagar ran away. “The angel of the Lord” found her. We are never out of God’s sight. The angel asked her a couple of questions. In response, she knew where she was coming from, but she did not know where she was going. The angel told her to go back, and she was given a promise of her own.

Application – (Write how you will be different today because of what you have just read.) Sometimes I want to run way like Hagar. I don’t really have an idea of where I’m going. I just want to get away from some situation. Thankfully, the Lord comes to me and says, “No.” There are times when the Lord’s directions make no sense to me. Hagar was told to go back and submit to the one who was mistreating her. God had plans for her, as well. I will be careful today to listen for Christ’s directions and follow them, whether they make sense to me or not. I will remember, my ideas are often not the best.

Prayer – (Write out a brief prayer.) Keep my ears and eyes open today, Lord. With all I plan to do, don’t let me shut you out. For I serve only by your grace. Any plans I make are not as important as yours. Give me your priorities today. Show me how to serve.