trusting God’s timing

Is Anything Too Wonderful for God?

/ enactedword / Leave a comment

Genesis 18:1–15

Every once in a while, a passage of Scripture meets us right where our hopes have given up. Genesis 18:1-15 is one of those passages. Abraham and Sarah have lived for decades with a promise from God. A promise not just of a child, but of a whole covenant future: a people, a land, and blessing for the world. But without a son, none of it can move forward. This isn’t a generic story about infertility; it’s about whether God will keep the very promise on which his redemptive plan rests.

The scene breaks into the ordinary. Abraham is resting in the heat of the day when three mysterious visitors appear. Genesis tells us that “the LORD appeared,” yet Abraham sees three men. However we understand these visitors, the point is clear: God has drawn near. And Abraham responds like a man who has been shaped by years of God’s gracious invitations. He runs, he bows, he prepares a feast far beyond what he offers in words. His hospitality mirrors the hospitality God has shown him.

But the heart of the story lies inside the tent, where Sarah listens as one of the visitors says, “About this time next year… Sarah shall have a son.” She laughs! Not the laugh of mockery, but the protective laugh of someone who has been disappointed before. She knows her age. She knows the long ache of waiting. And she knows how painful it is to hope again.

Many of us know that laugh. We hear promises of forgiveness, renewal, or resurrection, and something in us whispers, “Don’t get your hopes up.” Sometimes skepticism is just a shield.

Then comes the question that echoes down through the generations: “Is anything too wonderful for the LORD?” It’s not a rebuke. It’s a wake‑up call. The God who formed galaxies, who judged the world in Noah’s day, who scattered human pride at Babel, this God is not limited by our timelines or our tired expectations. And in the fullness of time, he would go even further than Sarah’s miracle, bringing life into the world through a virgin’s womb.

At the end of the passage, God insists that Sarah remember her laughter. Not to shame her. But so that when the promised child arrives, she will see just how far God has gone to keep his word.

Open a Bible and read Genesis 18:1–15 for yourself. Let that question linger: “Is anything too wonderful for the LORD?”

The God Who Sees: Understanding Genesis 16

/ enactedword / Leave a comment
A woman in a brown hooded cloak gazes upward in a serene natural setting with trees in the background, illuminated by soft sunlight.

Genesis 16:13–16

This article concludes a four‑part series on Genesis 16. If you missed the earlier pieces, you can find them in previous posts. We began by watching Sarai and Abram take matters into their own hands, creating a mess that wounded everyone involved. Then we followed Hagar as she fled into the wilderness, only to be found by the God who sees the unseen. And in the third article, we watched the Lord gently confront her, call her to return, and assure her that her life and future were not forgotten. All of it prepares us for the final movement of this remarkable chapter.

Hagar returns home changed. She’s still a servant. Her circumstances haven’t magically improved. But she walks back with courage because she knows something she didn’t know before: God sees her.

She names the Lord “The God Who Sees Me” (Genesis 16:13). And Abram receives her testimony. He names the son she gives birth to Ishmael, meaning “God hears” (Genesis 16:15). Hagar’s return spoke to Abram. God showed him that he does hear. He knows. And Abram and Sarai can trust him.

That’s the heartbeat of Genesis 16. Not the failure of Abram and Sarai. Not the conflict between two women. But the God who steps into human mess and says, “I see you.”

He sees your fears. Your waiting. Your disappointments. Your pressures. Your problems. He sees the shortcuts you regret and the wounds you carry. And he invites you to trust him, not because you’ve earned his watchful care over you, but because he is faithful.

God doesn’t need your shortcuts. He needs your trust. And trusting him is something you will never regret.

If you want to meet the God who sees, open your Bible and read Genesis 16:1–16. You may find he has been looking for you all along.

Understanding the Fallout of Shortcuts: Insights from Genesis 16

/ enactedword / Leave a comment
A dramatic scene depicting three individuals: an elderly man with a pained expression, a woman angrily pointing at him, and another woman standing with her arms crossed, looking away.

Genesis 16

This article is part of a four‑part series reflecting on Genesis 16 and the God who sees us.

Sarai’s plan “worked.” Hagar became pregnant. For a moment, everyone got what they thought they wanted. Abram got the child he wanted. Sarai’s womanhood seemed restored, at least she thought. But shortcuts always come with fallout.

Hagar, once invisible, now felt superior. Sarai’s inferiority deepened. Abram remained passive. And the household erupted.

Sarai lashed out at Abram, “May the wrong done to me be on you!” (Genesis 16:5). She then turned her anger on Hagar, treating her harshly. What began as a plan to fix things only made everything worse.

We know this pattern. A rushed decision. A bent rule. A moment of desperation. And suddenly the situation is so tangled that no one knows how to fix it. Sometimes life becomes so messy that every person involved is both guilty and wounded. Maybe you’ve lived that. Maybe you’re living it now.

Genesis 16 doesn’t hide the mess. It shows us that shortcuts don’t just fail. They wound. They create victims. They multiply pain. If you want to see this dynamic unfold in real time, read Genesis 16:4–6 for yourself. It’s a mirror held up to the human heart.

Next week, we’ll see what happens when God steps into the wreckage, not to scold, but to seek, restore, and show that he sees even the most broken among us.

Before then, here’s some practical take aways from this portion of Genesis 16.

If you’re in a mess, slow down before acting out of fear of pressure. Sarai’s plan was drive by desperation, not trust in God. Are you rushing too fast into a relationship? A financial decision? A career move? Slow down. Pray. Seek counsel.

Examine your short-cut reflex. Many people try to force outcomes. Manipulating circumstances. Bending rules or ethics. But, those shortcuts often create more pain than the problem they’re trying to solve. Recognize when you’re taking an unwise shortcut.

Take heed of yourself. Are you trying to overly control outcomes like Sarai? Are you being passive like Abram when you ought to be active? Are you responding to hurt with pride like Hagar? Acknowledge your role as the wounded or the wounder or both.

Instead of trying to fix the mess yourself, bring it to God.