When it comes to trust, we all tend to favor one of three choices: We trust in ourselves, we trust in others or we trust in God.
In Genesis chapter 16, Sarah didn’t trust God to provide a child. Instead, she trusted her own efforts and gave her servant girl (Hagar) to Abraham as a surrogate with which to conceive a child.
In Genesis chapter 21, Sarah gives birth to the son that God had promised…Isaac. This creates contention and rivalry between the two women and their children. Hagar, who had always trusted Abraham and Sarah to take care of her, is now sent away into the wilderness, at Sarah insistence. Out of supplies and waiting to die, Hagar encounters God and is told she would not only survive, but her son would become a great nation of people.
Both Sarah and Hagar had trouble with trust. Sarah trusted in her own efforts for a son. Her efforts came up short, but God was faithful. Hagar trusted in others to take care of her. Those people came up short, but God was faithful. Only Abraham chose to trust God first and foremost.
Is it wrong to work hard or to turn to friends and family for help? Not at all. The problem comes when we turn to these options first and trust them more than God.
When times are difficult, are you Like Sarah? Is your first inclination to roll up your sleeves and try to make something happen yourself? Are you like Hagar? Do you depend on other people to make things happen for you? Or are you like Abraham? Do you look to God first and trust Him no matter how things appear?
Who do you trust?
Bret Legg is the Teaching and Counseling Pastor at Warren Baptist Church in Augusta, GA.