Genesis 16: God's mercy and grace within our free will

God has a plan.  He always does.

I have an idea.  Sometimes it is good.  Sometimes not.  Most of the time my ideas need to age gracefully before they are implemented.  Ah, but patience is not my strength.

And thus, I am able to identify with the great man of faith, Abram.  And his wife, Sarai, who hatched a plan to make sure God's promises would not fail.

Like he really needs our help to insure his faithfulness.

After all, how could God accomplish his plan given the current circumstances.

Sarai was too old.

Abram was too old.

There were human solutions that were readily available and had worked in other circumstances.

Time was growing short.

So, Abram deferred.  His wife's plan was culturally acceptable, easily seen, and apparently easily executed.

So, Abram agreed.  And he was given a son named Ishmael.

And then the fallout.

Sarai was too jealous.

Abram was too compliant.

Hagar was too blessed of God.

The human plan worked all too well.

But it doesn't trump God's plan, nor does it thwart it.

So, why didn't God just do away with the rival plan?  Grace.

In fact, he promised to bless Ishmael in answers to the prayers of his mother Hagar and father Abram (Gen 18).

Did Abram and Sarai act out of fear and not faith?  Yes.

But God can still bless that action, even if it is not within the original blue print.

Our whole existence is outside of the original blueprint (Eden).

Yet, God's grace brings something beautiful out of our plans and mistakes and choices.

And it all flows within a tapestry of actions that reveals God's present work in our lives.

So, what choices have you made that have been against God's plan for your life?  Have you asked for God to still cleanse those choices and bless them?  Also, did you notice how God responds to the prayers of the mother and father?  Ishmael was blessed because someone cried out on his behalf.  Will you pray that God will heal the choices in lives around you and gracefully bless those who are hurting--for the glory of his grace and name?

God is powerful.  His plan is going to succeed.  But I think his greatest power is displayed, not in what goes perfectly, but in how he redeems and uses the broken and imperfect within his plan.