Hard Lessons

Genesis 16:9
Then the angel of the LORD said, "Return to your mistress and submit to her authority."

This is a hard word to hear this morning.
God spoke it to me during my Bible study and it has kind of lodged in my spirit.
Sometimes we find ourselves in situations that for whatever reason, we deem as being unfair or that we are being punished for something we said or did. Hard times. Times where there doesn't seem to be an easy answer to what we are facing.
Our first inclination is to run away. Get out! Leave and not look back. We don't know what the future may hold but it has to be better than what we are currently experiencing.
Maybe we even use God as an excuse to leave the situation. "God wouldn't want me to stay in this place because I won't be able to grow or learn anything." How wrong can we be!

In the Genesis passage, we read about Hagar, an Egyptian handmaid, under the authority of Abram and Sarai. Hagar was brought into a very messed up plot by Abram and Sarai to help bring about a promise God had made to them. God had promised a son to the couple and when it didn't happen in the time frame they thought it should, they plotted to bring Hagar in to help God. Sarai sent her husband, Abram, to have sex with Hagar in hopes that she would become pregnant and give them a sons. I know, by today's standards, it seems like a really bad plot to a daytime soap opera. Everything went down hill (as it usually does when we try to help God out) and Hagar found herself being abused by Sarai. Verse 6 says that Sarai treated her (Hagar) harshly, so she ran away. Isn't that like us? I mean you really won't hear many preachers or teachers talk about staying a situation for the glory of God, yet that is what we have here. God never intended Hagra to leave but to remain so He could work out the mess that Abram and Sarai had created. Hagar runs away, but God tracks here down. God tells her to go back and submit to Sarai's authority and that if she does, God would bless Hagar with more descendants than she could count.

Bottom line, when we remain obedient to God, even in bad times and bad situations, that brings the blessings of God to us. According to what God did for Hagar, it might even bring the blessings and extend them to our descendants. How cool would that be? So the next time you find yourself in a terrible situations, stop and ask God.."Do I stay or do you want me to leave?" Don't always assume that just because you are going through a bad time or a hard time that God is punishing you or has forgotten you. He may be trying to grow you and strengthen you for the next hard thing that may be headed your way.
Food for thought...
God on you.....


mb