Faith — The Shortcut - Tuesday
TODAY’S VERSE
Genesis 16:3
So, after Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her servant, and gave her to Abram her husband as a wife. (ESV)
Yesterday we saw a connection between Genesis 16 and Genesis 3. And today, we’re at it again. This time it’s not in the form of an identical phrase, but rather a mirrored pattern. Just in case the emboldened words above aren’t ringing any bells, let’s explore Genesis 3 one more time.
The last line of Genesis 3:6 reads, “she [Eve] took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband [Adam] who was with her, and he ate.” This paralleled pattern is undoubtedly trying to draw our attention to important truths. One of them seems to be:
God’s provision is something we receive from Him, NOT take for ourselves.
In both the garden scene and the Hagar scene, the main characters decide to disregard what God has explicitly told them and take matters of provision into their own hands (for Eve it’s food, for Sarai it’s the promise of a child). And it doesn’t go well in either instance.
And before we’re quick to point the finger, let’s not lose sight of our own tendency to take for ourselves without waiting to receive what God has for us. We do this all the time.
If we have to take something for ourselves (meaning, God hasn’t freely given it to us already), could it be because He either (1) doesn’t want us to have it at all, (2) doesn’t think we’re ready for it yet, OR (3) has something completely different in mind for us?
One of the most painful reminders of this reality for me (in a very trivial area of my life) is my car. About 4 years ago, I got swept up in my own self-created pressure to buy a car that could handle our growing family. And rather than waiting for what God had for us, I rushed (in my own strength) into a purchase I almost immediately regretted.
I WAY overpaid for an older vehicle in a fleshly frenzy, when a prime opportunity to purchase a much newer vehicle at the same price came available a month or so later. But by that time the check was processed, and I was already taking my “new” money pit to the mechanic.
If only I were willing to wait to receive what God had for me.
APPLICATION
Is there any area of provision in your life where you are currently experiencing anxiety? Where are you tempted to take for yourself instead of waiting to receive from God?
Take some time to reflect on those questions today and maybe even process them out loud with a trusted friend or in biblical community.
PRAYER
Father, forgive us for how often we attempt to take the role of provision out of Your hands and into our own. Thank You for Your loving kindness towards us and Your faithful provision over the course of our lives. We wait with eager anticipation to see how You plan to provide all that we need in the days, weeks, and months ahead.