Genesis 16:13 She answered God by name, praying to the God who spoke to her, “You’re the God who sees me! “Yes! He saw me; and then I saw him!”

People’s faith, my own included, can so quickly take a dive. Well, “quickly” is probably relative, since poor Sarai was already almost 75, and by this time, it was already a decade after God had promised that she and Abram would have a son. That’s when her faith began to waver, and she started making her own plans.

She offered Hagar, her Egyptian slave, to Abram. “If I cannot bear you a child, then take her instead …” And so, Abram agreed to a plan that was not born of faith, but of uncertainty.

And as usual, when our faith begins to waver, and we make our own plans, peace and joy fly out the door. Relationships start to crumble. Unable to endure Sarai’s mounting contempt any longer, Hagar later fled into the desert.

Then God must come again to fix what people had built with their crooked plans.

God had to step in yet again to rectify the wreckage of human crooked plans. God came to Hagar’s rescue, and she personally experienced His goodness and restoration. She realised that God not only noticed her but also brought salvation.

Our connection to God hinges on faith. Once that trust begins to erode, we often find ourselves spiralling until we’re completely off track. The consequences are usually not as desired, and before we know it, we’re trapped in our own desert.

We must really try to keep our faith strong. But when we do waver, we fortunately know that our gracious God will meet us even in the desert, see us and bring salvation.

When Sarai and Abram could no longer trust God’s timing, they made their own plan and used Hagar to have a child. But human plans without God always bring pain and broken relationships. In the desert, God met Hagar and showed her that He sees, hears and cares, even when we lose direction. True faith rests in divine timing. Only God can untangle the chaos created by our frantic need to rush the process.

Prayer|
Father, help me not to follow my own head, but to wait for Your plans to become a reality, even if it takes much longer than I expected. Thank you also for Your grace that covers my life like an umbrella …

Questions
Where are you running ahead of God, and why?
What is stopping you from waiting for God’s time?
When was the last time you experienced the care of God, the Provider?

Now go and do this
Think of a situation where you may have run ahead of God and ask Him to help you rest in His timing again.
Write down today where you struggle to wait and pray that God will teach you to trust rather than control.
Remind yourself that God sees you, even in your wilderness times, and that He is still working out His plan.