Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if Sarah hadn’t interfered with God’s plan. In Genesis 16, she says, ‘the Lord has prevented me from having children.’ Infertility is tough enough for a woman who wants a child, but instead of believing God’s promise for Isaac, Sarah gave her husband permission to be with another woman.
What’s crazier is that Abraham listened to her and did it. Did Sarah nag him? Was this an ongoing conversation between them as soon as God had them leave their hometown? Regardless, he caved and slept with her servant Hagar. God didn’t forget about Sarah. If not, why did God wait so long to bless her at 90 years old?
Nowadays, no woman at 90 is thinking about having kids, but since they lived longer in Bible times, 90 was old, but not that old. God did bless Sarah, but not without consequences after Hagar had Ishmael. Later, after Isaac was born in Genesis 21, Ishmael is noted as ‘scoffing’ at him. Sarah then tells Abraham to banish Hagar and Ishmael. She didn’t take responsibility for her part in Ishmael’s birth. She even blamed Abraham for Hagar’s contempt during her pregnancy in Genesis 16.
All this to say, none of this would have happened if Sarah had held onto God’s promise. Like many Christian singles today, I’m sure she got tired of waiting. She felt deprived, overlooked, disregarded. Unlike Sarah, don’t make hasty decisions to escape singleness just to appease the loneliness you may feel.
This could look like entertaining an ex, settling for a ‘good enough’ Christian man or woman but not seeing the fruits of the spirit in their lives. This could mean accepting permanent singleness thinking ‘this must be God’s will,’ but deep down, you truly know in your heart you still desire marriage. Don’t give up!
Is marriage promised in this life? No, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have faith for it. It’s a beautiful desire, but we have to trust God with the result!
Don’t create an Ishmael you’ll regret later. Don’t make a permanent decision based on temporary feelings you’re experiencing now. Run to God’s Word! It’s not cliché. It’s our lifeline. We can trust Him with our lives. He knows what He’s doing.
Written by Daria White Osah
Check out The Christian Singles Hub website for information on Christian matchmaking, Christian speed dating, upcoming Christian retreats, events, trips and so much more at https://thechristiansingleshub.com/
You can find Daria Here:
Devotional https://www.amazon.com/Dear-Younger-Me-Devotional-Personal-ebook/dp/B09QRKBRGB/
Her podcast Single Plus https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/singleplus
& on Instagram @mysingleplus
