Roxanne ~~ Northern ~~ Damn Yankee

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No-Win Situations
Genesis 16:1-15
We admitted that we were powerless over our dependencies–that our lives had become unmanageable.

Sometimes we are powerless because of our stations in life. We may be in a situation where other people have power over us. We may feel that we are trapped by the demands of others and that there’s no way to please them all. It’s a double bind: To please one is to disappoint another. Sometimes when we feel stuck and frustrated with our relationships, we look for a measure of control by escaping through our addictive behaviors.

Hagar is a picture of powerlessness. She had no rights. As a girl, she was a slave to Sarai and Abram. When they were upset because Sarai could not bear children, Hagar was given to Abram as a surrogate. When she did become pregnant, as they had wanted, Sarai was so jealous that she beat Hagar, and Hagar ran away. All alone out in the wilderness, she was met by an angel who gave her an amazing message: “‘Return to your mistress and submit to her authority.’ The angel added, ‘I will give you more descendants than you can count.’ And the angel also said, ‘You are now pregnant and will give birth to a son. You are to name him Ishmael, for the LORD has heard about your misery’” (Genesis 16:9-11).

When we are caught in no-win situations, it’s tempting to run away through our addictive/compulsive escape hatches. At times like these God is there, and he is listening to our woes. We need to learn to express our pain to God instead of just trying to escape it. He hears our cries and is willing to give us hope for the future.

16:1-4
Since God’s promise of a child had been given, about two years had passed without anything happening. Sometimes the hardest part of recovery is the waiting. Here Abram and Sarai show us what not to do when things don’t progress as quickly as we might hope. Rather than accept God’s timing, they took matters into their own hands. They assigned a servant girl, Hagar, to be a surrogate mother for Abram’s son. This “solution” has been a source of conflict to this day. Abram’s descendants through Hagar are the Arab nations whose conflict with the Jews keep the Middle East in constant turmoil.
16:7-13
When Hagar could not help herself and recognized her powerlessness over her situation, the angel of the Lord came and ministered to her. Until we recognize that our situation is hopeless without outside help, God waits and does not help us. But when we are ready to admit our need and cry out to him, he is ready to step in.
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