Confidence After We Fail • Genesis 16:1-5; 17:1-9
By Laura Lee Leathers
I perused Facebook one final time before I started writing this lesson. Here was the post from a writer friend: “If you fail, never give up because F.A.I.L. means ‘First Attempt In Learning.’ End is not the end; in fact, E.N.D. means, ‘Effort Never Dies.’ If you get no as an answer, remember N.O. means ‘Next Opportunity.’ Change your mindset!”
Take a moment and write that on a notecard and place it where you will read it often. Then, put this thought on another notecard, “Failure is never final with the Savior.”
God uses our life experiences to mold and shape us into the person He wants us to be, including the use of our failures. However, we can allow guilt, the feeling of unworthiness, and the urge to quit to rob us of God’s redeeming grace in our failures.
Our life experiences are never wasted if we allow them to teach us to trust God more and not depend upon ourselves.
Also, waiting upon the Lord to work in or give answers to a situation is challenging. It’s our human nature to want to find a solution, fix the problem — and often get ahead of God’s plans. Our choices can lead us to sin against God and cause us to suffer consequences that could have been avoided. Instead, the question we should ask ourselves is, “What is He trying to teach me as I wait for Him?”
Don’t take matters into your own hands (Genesis 16:1-5). What did God say? He promised Abraham and Sarah a child, an heir. Time passed (ten years) and still no heir. Sarah decides to take matters into her own hands. She puts together a plan for her servant, Hagar, to bear a child with Abraham in place of herself.
Sarah takes her plan to Abraham. Notice in verse two: “And Abraham listened to the voice of Sarah.” The plan sounds good to him and in verse three, we read where he takes Hagar “as a wife.” She conceives, and things drastically change.
It was a detour away from God’s plan. Vance Havner states, “The detour is always worse than the main road.”
Hagar gloats in her pregnancy. She looks with contempt on her mistress. Maybe it was here that Sarah was asking herself, “What have I done?” Rather than take responsibility for her mistake and confess her sin, she blames Abraham.
Abraham tells Sarah that Hagar is in her (Sarah’s) power, and Sarah could do whatever she wants to the maidservant. So, Sarah treats Hagar so harshly that she flees from her home. Verses six through 16 are not a part of our focal passage.
God sees her plight, gives her instructions to return to her mistress Sarah, and promises her that her offspring will be multiplied. She has a son, Ishmael, and from his offspring we have the Islamic world of today. There is still conflict between Judaism, practiced by the progeny of Abraham, and Islam, which was created by Ishmael’s progeny.
Do what God expects of you (Genesis 17:1-3). Abraham was 86 years old when Ishmael was born. Thirteen years of silence had passed. Now the Lord has a message for Abraham: “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless, that I may make my covenant between you and me, and may multiply you greatly.” All Abraham could do was fall on his face before El Shaddai (first mention).
God seeks a covenant relationship with us (Genesis 17:4-9). God speaks and affirms His covenant with Abraham. Later in the chapter, we learn about the purpose of circumcision as a sign and seal of the covenant. Also in this section, we know about the name changes for Abraham and Sarah (v. 5).
Remember, this covenant included the everlasting possession of the land of Canaan. Abraham was to demonstrate his part by obedience to the Lord’s command of circumcision. “As Christian believers, we have experienced a “spiritual circumcision” (Colossians 2:9-12) that makes us part of the “true circumcision” (Phil. 3:1-3 NASB) (Wiersbe, Be Obedient: Learning the Secret of Living by Faith).
When we turn to God and trust Him, He brings us into a great relationship with Him. He will still work in our lives as we follow Him (LifeWay).
One more notecard — Hebrews 4:16: “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
He can forgive our failures, and use them for His glory and purposes as He rebuilds our confidence in Him. Praise Him!
Leathers is a member of First Church, Lexington. She may be contacted at laura.l.leathers@gmail.com.
