Sent back
A few weeks ago, I explored the issue of God sending one back. This is when you find yourself in a tight spot and find a quick escape only to have God stop you in your tracks and send you back. As you can imagine, it can be a very frustrating experience, but also a very necessary one.
I studied Hagar, Sarai's maidservant, in Genesis 16. We read that Sarai was unable to have children, and as a custom of that time, gave Hagar to Abram to have children through her. Abram complied and Hagar conceived. That's when trouble broke loose. The Bible says when Hagar knew she was pregnant she began despising Sarai. I was always quick to judge Hagar for her behavior whenever I read this portion, but this time I had a better understanding of her.
She was an Egyptian, a foreigner in the land of Canaan, an outcast. On top of that, she was a slave meaning she was someone elses property, unable to exercise her will.
You then understand why she reacted the way she did when she finally had a vantage point, when she had something her master couldn't have. Of course it doesn't justify her actions, but it makes you see it from her perspective.
When she despised Sarai, Sarai mistreated her, therefore Hagar ran away. In her running, an angel of God met with her.
"The angel said to her, “Hagar, Sarai’s servant, where have you come from, and where are you going?” “I’m running away from my mistress, Sarai,” she replied. The angel of the Lord said to her, “Return to your mistress, and submit to her authority.”
Had she been me, I was gonna be like: "Uhm, Lord, no. You have no idea what that woman's been doing to me. I ain't going back there. Unless you want me to die of misery..."
In her head she was justified to run, she was protecting herself and her baby since the one who stood to protect her chose not to. You see it was Abram who gave Sarai the permission to do as she did towards Hagar, and it was he who had the ability to make the situation better for both women. Abram failed to do when doing was in his power, which makes him as bad as Sarai because failing to do right is as bad as doing wrong.
But God knew better - that's the trick in obeying Him when he speaks against your will, trusting that he knows better. What better did he know in this situation? He knew that Ishmael would also have a good future. He knew that Abram and Sarai had to see the result of their trying to fulfill God's promise in the own power. They had to see how their human efforts couldn't fit into the divine miracle, how it would actually hinder what God had promised. They wouldn't see this if Hagar ran away for good, they wouldn't know that the honor to fulfill a promise rests on the One who made it.
So in being sent back we learn that it's not just about me, the reason for being sent back is bigger than me.
Hagar eventually left Abram's household, her suffering was only for a season and only to accomplish a certain purpose. When she did leave, God was on her side, providing for her on her new path.
A similar story is that of Elijah. He was on the run because of a death threat, it was so intense he was considering suicide. God also sent him back, and when he officially "went out", he went out with a bang! On a chariot of fire!
That's what sending you back is all about, it's not about keeping you miserable or chained, but it's about waiting on God to be the one to escort you out in a glorious way to a better tomorrow.
Sometimes we aren't moving forward and can't reach the place we'd like to because we refuse to go back. We refuse to go back and submit, to go back and apologize; we don't want to go back and be brave and courageous, staring what scared us away in the face.
Never allow yourself to run into something in effort of escaping another, be it a job, relationship or relocating, you won't get far. There's truth in the saying "You can run but you can't hide." The reality of what you ran away from will soon catch up with you, ask Jacob.
So do not loose heart when he sends you back, it is only you being pulled back like an arrow so you can go further when released.
I studied Hagar, Sarai's maidservant, in Genesis 16. We read that Sarai was unable to have children, and as a custom of that time, gave Hagar to Abram to have children through her. Abram complied and Hagar conceived. That's when trouble broke loose. The Bible says when Hagar knew she was pregnant she began despising Sarai. I was always quick to judge Hagar for her behavior whenever I read this portion, but this time I had a better understanding of her.
She was an Egyptian, a foreigner in the land of Canaan, an outcast. On top of that, she was a slave meaning she was someone elses property, unable to exercise her will.
You then understand why she reacted the way she did when she finally had a vantage point, when she had something her master couldn't have. Of course it doesn't justify her actions, but it makes you see it from her perspective.
When she despised Sarai, Sarai mistreated her, therefore Hagar ran away. In her running, an angel of God met with her.
"The angel said to her, “Hagar, Sarai’s servant, where have you come from, and where are you going?” “I’m running away from my mistress, Sarai,” she replied. The angel of the Lord said to her, “Return to your mistress, and submit to her authority.”
Had she been me, I was gonna be like: "Uhm, Lord, no. You have no idea what that woman's been doing to me. I ain't going back there. Unless you want me to die of misery..."
In her head she was justified to run, she was protecting herself and her baby since the one who stood to protect her chose not to. You see it was Abram who gave Sarai the permission to do as she did towards Hagar, and it was he who had the ability to make the situation better for both women. Abram failed to do when doing was in his power, which makes him as bad as Sarai because failing to do right is as bad as doing wrong.
But God knew better - that's the trick in obeying Him when he speaks against your will, trusting that he knows better. What better did he know in this situation? He knew that Ishmael would also have a good future. He knew that Abram and Sarai had to see the result of their trying to fulfill God's promise in the own power. They had to see how their human efforts couldn't fit into the divine miracle, how it would actually hinder what God had promised. They wouldn't see this if Hagar ran away for good, they wouldn't know that the honor to fulfill a promise rests on the One who made it.
So in being sent back we learn that it's not just about me, the reason for being sent back is bigger than me.
Hagar eventually left Abram's household, her suffering was only for a season and only to accomplish a certain purpose. When she did leave, God was on her side, providing for her on her new path.
A similar story is that of Elijah. He was on the run because of a death threat, it was so intense he was considering suicide. God also sent him back, and when he officially "went out", he went out with a bang! On a chariot of fire!
That's what sending you back is all about, it's not about keeping you miserable or chained, but it's about waiting on God to be the one to escort you out in a glorious way to a better tomorrow.
Sometimes we aren't moving forward and can't reach the place we'd like to because we refuse to go back. We refuse to go back and submit, to go back and apologize; we don't want to go back and be brave and courageous, staring what scared us away in the face.
Never allow yourself to run into something in effort of escaping another, be it a job, relationship or relocating, you won't get far. There's truth in the saying "You can run but you can't hide." The reality of what you ran away from will soon catch up with you, ask Jacob.
So do not loose heart when he sends you back, it is only you being pulled back like an arrow so you can go further when released.
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