When We Try to Make God's Promise Happen

Reflection

Have you ever had a situation where you tried everything you could think of to make something work? Maybe it was an idea you put your all into, a business you worked hard to build, or something you were determined to bring to life. You had a plan, you put in the effort, and you did everything you thought would make it successful. But somehow, things didn't turn out the way you had hoped.

I know from my own experience how much effort we can put into something, hoping to see it turn out a certain way, only to have things go differently than we planned. I've had times when I've put my heart into something, made plans, and worked hard to see it through, but the results weren't what I had hoped for. And that can be disappointing, especially when you feel like you've done everything you know to do.

That got me thinking about Abraham and Sarah. They are a prime example of what can happen when we try to bring about something through our own efforts that only God can accomplish.

God had promised Abraham that he would have a son and that through his seed He would make a great nation. But Abraham and Sarah were already well beyond the years of having children. Sarah was also barren, and from a human perspective, the possibility of having a child seemed impossible. Yet God had made a promise.

After waiting, Sarah came up with a plan. She gave Hagar, her handmaid, to Abraham, hoping to have a child through her. Abraham agreed, and Hagar gave birth to Ishmael. They had tried to bring about through their own arrangement what God had promised.

But God had not forgotten His promise, and He did not need their help to fulfill it. In time, Sarah herself gave birth to Isaac, just as God had said. Think about that for a moment. What was impossible for Abraham and Sarah was never impossible for God.

This is what Paul is referring to in Galatians 4:23. Ishmael was born after the flesh, through human effort and arrangement, while Isaac was born by promise. Paul uses these two sons to make a greater point about the difference between the covenant of bondage and the covenant of promise. There is a distinction between what comes through human effort and what God brings about according to His promise.

Taking Matters Into Our Own Hands

And I think there is something here we can all relate to. How often have we put so much effort into making something happen that we forget to leave room for God? We make plans, try different approaches, and sometimes get so determined to see a certain outcome that we begin taking matters into our own hands. We may even convince ourselves that we are doing the right thing because our intentions are good.

Now, I'm not saying we shouldn't work hard or do our part. There is certainly a place for diligence, responsibility, and obedience.

There is a difference between being faithful in what God has given us to do and trying to produce an outcome that only He can bring about.

And this applies to more than the plans we make in life. Even in our walk with the Lord, we can become so focused on what we are trying to do that we forget how much we need Him working in us. We want to be more patient, more loving, and more forgiving. Those are good things to desire, but lasting change isn't something we can simply manufacture through our own determination. God works in our hearts, changing our desires and helping us do His will.

Trusting the Promise Maker

I find that encouraging because it reminds me that I don't have to carry the responsibility of making everything happen. I need to be faithful with what is in front of me, but I also need to recognize what is beyond my ability. God is faithful to His promises, and He is the One who accomplishes what He has said.

Abraham and Sarah's story reminds us that trying to make something happen in our own strength doesn't make God's promise come any sooner. Isaac was born because God fulfilled His promise, not because Abraham and Sarah finally figured out how to make it happen.

Sometimes the hardest thing for us to do is stop trying to control the outcome and simply trust the One who made the promise.

Trying to make something happen in our own strength doesn't make God's promise come any sooner—
Trust the One who made the promise.

Before You Go

When I think about Abraham and Sarah, I'm reminded that God's promises are never dependent on our ability to make them happen. He had a plan, and even though Abraham and Sarah couldn't see how it would all come together, God was faithful to do exactly what He had promised.

And that promise was pointing to something much greater. Through Isaac came the promised line, and through that line came Jesus Christ, the promised Seed through whom all nations would be blessed. What God began with Abraham, He brought to fulfillment through Jesus.

That gives us another reason to trust Him. We may not see how everything fits together, and we may not understand what He is doing along the way, but we can trust that God is faithful to finish what He has purposed. We don't have to force His hand or try to work out every detail ourselves. Our part is to believe Him, follow Christ, and remain faithful in what He has placed before us.

The God who fulfilled His promise through Jesus Christ is still faithful. We can trust Him with what He has promised and with the plans He is working out.