Reading Plan: Genesis 16

Believers know this passage to be true and strive to live by it, but when putting it into practice it can be hard to let go of our plans, our ways, or our control. Trusting God when we can’t see the big picture is the definition of faith. Hebrews 11 names Abraham (Abram) and Sarah (Sarai) as heroes of faith. Time and time again Abram trusted God and stepped out in faith. In Genesis 12, Abram left everything familiar to follow God’s calling; in Genesis 13, Abram trusted God in his generosity; in Genesis 14, Abram turned down gifts from a crooked king in order to ensure God received the glory for Abram’s success; and in Genesis 15, even in his impatience and confusion, Abram believed God and it was counted as righteousness.

But in Chapter 16, we see where Abram’s and Sarai’s faiths faltered. This created major consequences for everyone around them. Sarai was well beyond her childbearing years, and she saw no way for God to make good on His promise to give her and Abram a child, so she decided to fix it herself. She thought she could make a better way, but Sarai quickly realized how terrible her idea was. Instead of solving the problem, her actions created a messy, painful situation for everyone involved.

There is no doubt that Abram and Sarai messed up. They took their eyes off God’s promises and forgot everything He had already brought them through. Sarai started making her own plans, and Abram went along with it. But God didn’t leave them in their mess. In His mercy, He forgave them and continued to be faithful to His promises. It would be another 13 years before an interaction between God and Abram was recorded in scripture, but God had not forgotten His covenant with Abram. It was then that God reaffirmed His covenant and fulfilled His promise of a child for Sarah and Abraham. Their plans brought about destruction, but God’s plans brought restoration and new life.

Abraham didn’t live a perfect life from that moment on; he messed up, he acted in fear again, he took his eyes off God’s promises, but he was not defined by his imperfections. His identity was in his faith, in the promises of God that He believed—even though he did not live to see all of God’s promises come to pass, he lived a life seeking God and believing Him.

Like Abraham, we are not defined by our past mistakes or failures. When we take our eyes off Jesus and His promises and try to make things work in our own timing, it can lead to sinful decisions that cause destruction in our lives and in the lives of others, but that doesn’t mean that God gives up on us. No, when we repent, He gives us compassion and forgiveness when we don't deserve it. Like with Abram, our sins have consequences, but there is mercy and grace in repentance. God wants to restore the broken; He doesn’t want us to stay hidden in our shame. When God looks at His children, He no longer sees the sin that separated us from Him; instead, He sees Jesus and His blood. Because of the cross, every sin, every mistake, and every failure are covered. And because of the cross, we can live a life of faith and be counted as righteous. Through Jesus, we are forgiven, counted as righteous, and used in the Kingdom to bring God glory. Our identity is in Christ, not our failures. Trust Jesus over fear, sin, and shame today.