James Kabucho drew from Hagar’s life reflecting on a God who searches for us, empowers us to return, establishes and sustains us by His mighty power (Genesis 16).
In life, we all come to an intersection where what we believe to be true is challenged by our circumstances. There is a cruciform pattern to life that demands we exercise faith by patiently submitting as we wait for God’s appointed time. However, in trying to find solutions to our challenges, we allow earthly wisdom to carry the day. We fail to seek God’s guidance that is found through His word and prayer. We make rash decisions out of pride, anger, peer pressure, societal expectations, and sometimes due to the incessant demands from our loved ones. Sooner than later, the outcomes of these decisions are grief, guilt, and all kinds of distress and pain. As we grow and mature in our faith as Christians, we will inevitably make mistakes along the way. The steps to maturity are necessarily immature, and we must learn from each one of these missteps, and never hate or dismiss them. Thank God for a God who sees us even amid the pain wrought by our own decisions.
As believers in our Lord Jesus Christ, we are given the right to become the children of God. That makes us a family or better still, a family of families. We are meant to stay together as a family. Through the love of Christ flowing in us, we will walk, talk, work, play, stand, stay, and pray together in Jesus’ name. By doing this, we will overcome the grief and pain many are experiencing, and the world will know we are Christians by our love for one another.
Application
- Have you abandoned your family of believers or your faith? God is asking you to consider where you are coming from and where you are going (Genesis 16:7-8).
- What action can you commit to, to get you back on track?
Prayer
Dear God, I come to You knowing that You see me fully. May You restore me. Amen
