God Doesn’t Need Our Plan B

To be honest, I find it amazing that Sarah made the Heroes’ Hall of Faith in Hebrews 11. When I think of women who deserve to be there, I think of Mary, who carried the Lord in her womb, or Ruth or Esther or Deborah, the great warrior judge.

But Sarah was one of the women who’s listed there, even though she didn’t seem to have a lot of faith. When God came to Sarah and her husband Abraham and told them they were going to have a child, they balked at it. She was, after all, 65 years old and Abraham was 75.

Sarah didn’t know whether she would be able to conceive a child and thought maybe God needed a little help. She suggested that Abraham marry her maid Hagar and have a child with her. The next thing you know, Hagar has conceived and a boy named Ishmael has been born. Immediately Sarah became jealous. She was angry at Hagar, and she was angry at her husband.

When unbelief tries to solve a problem, it creates a bigger problem. God wants to do His will in His way in His timing. God doesn’t want us to do His will in our way. God doesn’t need our manipulation. God doesn’t need us to bring His will about. He will do it in His way and in His time.

Sarah’s plan B had backfired horribly, yet as I look at Hebrews 11, what amazes me is that not one of her lapses is mentioned. That is because Hebrews 11 is a record of faith, not unbelief. It lists the victories, not the defeats. In the same way, when you become a Christian, you are a new person in Christ. Old things have passed away. Everything becomes fresh and new.