Thursday, 6th July 2023
Alex Buabeng-Korsah
TOPIC: TURNING MISTAKES INTO MIRACLES
THEME SCRIPTURE: “And Hagar bare Abram a son and Abram called his son’s name which Hagar bare, Ishmael.” – Genesis 16:15
PREPARATORY QUESTIONS:
- How was it a mistake for Hagar to bare a son for Abram?
- How can mistakes be turned into an advantage?
Even though God had promised Abram that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars of heaven (Gen 15:5), there was a problem. Abram was far advanced in age, while his wife, Sarai, was also old and barren. On the one hand, there is God’s promise, and on the other, there is a huge problem. This is where Abram and his wife Sarai missed God’s plan for them.
In life, at one point or another, we are all faced with the task of reconciling existential problems with God’s word (or promises). It is at this point that, often, mistakes emerge.
It began with a proposal by Sarai: “Behold now, the Lord has restrained me from bearing. I pray thee, take my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her.” Abram agreed (Gen 16:2), and Hagar, Sarai’s maid, was given to him (Gen 16:3). Hagar got pregnant by Abram, and the challenges began (Gen 16:4). From the start, it sounded like a good plan. But now that Hagar is pregnant, she started despising her mistress. Interestingly, Sarai went to Abram, complaining bitterly. What Sarai said to Abram is simply this: “I have given my maid to you without reservation. She is despising me, and you are doing nothing” (Gen 16:5).
When we make mistakes and fail to go to God for help, we only work to aggravate them.
That is what happened. Abram responded to this whole chaos by telling his wife, “Behold, your maid is in your hand; do to her as it pleases you.” Thus, he didn’t want to have anything to do with the issue at stake. So Sarai dealt hardly with Hagar, and when she could not endure, she fled (Gen 16:6).
Precious one, we’re not far from similar mistakes in our walk with God. Anyone who has been in a similar situation will agree that anytime we get so desperate (as Sarai and Abram's were desperate for a child), consideration of faith in God is overlooked or justified skirmishly. They’d waited for 10 years and impatience had set in. Impatience has a way of clouding our judgment. This led Abram and his wife to follow conventional wisdom instead of the unconventional ways of God. There is chaos in Abram’s camp. Hagar has fled with Abram’s child but is stuck in the wilderness (Gen 16:7). Sarai has lost her maid and the child she was looking forward to. Abram is torn between two women—one being his wife and the other carrying his child. It took God to turn the situation into a miracle.
Beloved, God sees everything, including our mistakes, and He saw Hagar, Abram, and his wife’s mistakes (Gen 16:13–14).
Even though Hagar’s child might have been a mistake, God had a plan for the baby (Gen 16:10–11). God instructed Hagar to return to Sarai and submit to her (Gen 16:9); she did, and the storms of her life were assuaged. If only we can bring God into our mistakes, He will turn them into testimonies. If only we can be sincere and ask God into our challenges, He is able to use them as springboards for our next level. God has turned people’s mistakes into books, testimonies, etc., which have changed lives tremendously. Hand over all your mistakes to God today and see Him work a miracle with them. God bless you more.
FURTHER READING – Genesis 16
Call to Salvation: Today is your day if you have not received salvation by turning over your life to Jesus Christ. Click here to do so
QUESTIONS TO HELP YOU MEDITATE ON THE WORD:
- Are you brooding over mistakes of yester-years?
- Can you ask God to use your mistakes for His glory?
PRAYER
Precious Lord, you are the God who sees me. There’s nothing as darkness with you. The night, to you, is as bright as the day. See therefore all my mistakes and let it please you to use them all for your glory. In Jesus’ precious name, Amen!
1-Year Bible Reading Plan
1 Samuel 18; Isaiah 62; Matthew 7
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