Part 5: Don’t Try to Force A Square Peg in a Round Hole
God has woven unique desires within every individual. Different things made different people happy. I, for one, am not a big fan of small spaces. So, living somewhere on a deserted island in a tiny hut wouldn’t be my ideal scenario for tranquility. On the other hand, there are many people who get excited about the prospect and even dream of retiring to such a place. These desires of ours don’t just come out of nowhere. Our Creator planted the seeds for them long before we arrived on the scene. This helps us to understand Abraham better, because when it comes to his record in the Old Testament Book of Genesis, it was no accident that he had a deep yearning to have a big family and to pass on his legacy to a son. This was very important to Abraham, and God made sure this desire was in Abraham’s heart. Understanding that nothing about us is a mistake and that God has a purpose for our desires is very important to moving forward in God’s Will.
Jesus Christ tells us in Matthew 6:33 to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. If we do this, God promises that we will live a very blessed existence. There are certain things ingrained in our makeup as human beings and the practice of seeking is one of those things. Humans go in search of whatever is important to them. Our history books are filled with notable individuals who were driven by a quest to discover. They sought to find treasures and acquire knowledge that would lead to advancement and greater understanding. Many people have made a pattern of seeking after whatever they think will bring them pleasure. This can lead to a whole lot of trouble. Everything we think is good isn’t always good for us. We waste an incredible amount of time searching for things that have nothing to do with the reason we’ve been placed on this earth. The better plan is to seek God. He knows the desires He’s placed in our hearts, and those are the ones that will lead us on the path He has laid before us. We can see this very clearly in both Abraham’s triumphs and his mistakes.
The marriage between our desires and God’s purpose is a beautiful one, but sometimes we become impatient. And not only that, we forget that our faith must be increased to walk with God through Christ in a greater way. Abraham didn’t have the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit, and God lovingly walked with him, teaching and helping Abraham build his faith. We should note that God would not reward Abraham with the manifestation of the promise without Abraham’s participation through the engaging of his faith and the actions to back it. Just like us, Abraham was required to renew his mind and believe God with all his heart.
In Genesis 15, God came to Abraham in a vision more completely and reaffirmed the promise He made to him, which was to make Abraham’s name great and to make his offspring a great nation. Heavenly Father told Abraham that He was his shield and his exceeding great reward. This is truly one of the most reassuring and valued treasures that any living creature could want. Today, we have made a sport of seeking everything but God, thinking that things of this world can quench our thirst and satisfy our hunger. This can never be. We waste time if we seek our soul’s satisfaction by drinking from a container with no water. God is our shield. He is our exceeding great reward, and our focus must remain continually on Him.
Abraham believed God, and his faith was counted toward him as righteousness, but there was still more to do to increase his faith in God. Sarah, Abraham’s wife was indeed very beautiful, even in her senior years, but she was having trouble in the faith arena. During Abraham’s and Sarah’s travels to Egypt, they ran into a little trouble with the pharaoh, but the favor of God was upon Abraham. He and Sarah walked away from this trouble with treasures from the pharaoh, and they were also given an Egyptian maid named Hagar. Sarah, not believing she would be able to bear a child, came up with the idea that Abraham should be intimate with Hagar, so they could have a child that way.
This was not God’s promise, and the compromise that Sarah came up with was not pleasing to Heavenly Father. It was a bad idea, but Abraham went along with it. Just like us, Abraham stumbled, but it did not take him off the path of God’s promise and purpose. God does not abandon us when we are believing for His promises to come to pass in our lives. He walks with us and teaches us, the way He did with Abraham. He directs, guides, and instructs us in righteousness. And God’s instructions are precise, with not a hint of ambiguity. He speaks to us Spirit to spirit, and this will require that we quiet ourselves in humble submission, because this is the way to hear God’s voice.
When it comes to the desires we want most, our yearning for the pleasure of those things can cloud our judgement. Mistakes are very costly. It’s never worth it to try and rush things or get ahead of the Holy Spirit. Romans 8:28(NLT) tells us, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” You and I can’t make things work together for our good. It’s God who does this. His Word is very clear that He desires that we have a more than abundant life. 2Corinthians 9:8(NIV) says “And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” God is our Provider, and He is more than willing to bless us when we are obedient to follow His guidance.
Abraham and Sarah did what many of us do today, they tried to force a square peg into a round hole. The results were not adequate to meet God’s requirements. Sarah’s plan of allowing Abraham to get her handmaiden pregnant ended up being a terrible source of frustration for them. Abraham and Sarah allowed their age to have a negative impact on their faith. They thought they had run out of time, but with God, all things are possible. His timing is always perfect, and faith in Him is a requirement. God told Abraham in Genesis 17:19(NLT), “No—Sarah, your wife, will give birth to a son for you. You will name him Isaac, and I will confirm my covenant with him and his descendants as an everlasting covenant.”
Don’t try to force a fit or make excuses for not spending the kind of quality time with God that He deserves. Our heart’s desires will come to pass when we seek God first and follow the plan and purpose that He has for our lives. Understand that the blessings of God are not just for you. Woven within them is His plan to bless as many as possible, so be reassured that He is as committed and happy to bless you as you are to be blessed. Keep the faith!■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
“The Faith of Abraham, Part 5: Don’t Try to Force A Square Peg in A Round Hole” written for SMS Member Services.com Copyright© 2023.