Hagar syndrome 

“And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” Genesis‬ ‭12:2-3‬ ESV

“After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” But Abram said, “O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.” And behold, the word of the Lord came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.” And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.” Genesis‬ ‭15:1-6‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. She had a female Egyptian servant whose name was Hagar. And Sarai said to Abram, “Behold now, the Lord has prevented me from bearing children. Go in to my servant; it may be that I shall obtain children by her.” And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai. And he went in to Hagar, and she conceived. And when she saw that she had conceived, she looked with contempt on her mistress.” ‭‭Genesis‬ ‭16:1-2, 4‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Abrams story begins with a call and a promise. God promised to make him a great nation, but there was also to be sacrifice. Abram and Sarai were to leave their home and travel to a new land. With their promise in hand they started their journey. Fast forward a couple chapters and we see that Abram is loosing a little faith in his promise. God reminds Abram in Genesis 15:1 that he shall have a great reward. Abram questions God, but the chapter continues and God reassures Abram of his promise and faithfulness. 

It doesn’t mention Sarai in the moments where God met with Abram to share his promise. And although she isn’t mentioned hearing the call she followed Abram. But in chapter 16 we start to see Sarai getting impatient. Sarai found a perfect substitute. She found a way to get the promise rolling. Hagar, she would be the answer to all their problems, so Sarai thought. But immediately following conception Sarai felt contempt. This was not how The Promise should feel. 

The next time God speaks about his promise he made sure Sarai heard. Even though she did hear, she laughed. Still not believing in the impossible promise God had given. 

In chapter 21, we finally see the promise fulfilled in the birth of Isaac. And although the promise son had been born the story of Hagar and Ishmael did not end. To this day we still see the effects of the Hagar substitution. 

Has God given you a promise that has not come to pass? Maybe he hasn’t spoken in a loud booming voice, but you felt a nudge, yet nothing is happening. Oh, how I can relate to Sarai. I want to fix things. I want to figure them out. In my best ability I weigh it all out and come up with the best possible solution. The Hagar syndrome. Using my abilities to create a solution only possible with God. Sarai thought Hagar would be a great idea. It was quick, easy and she thought would be painless, but in the end it caused much more pain for all involved than inticipated. 

How many times do we find a Hagar for a situation we are dealing with? The “easy” way out. A quick fix. Something to end the waiting and the wondering. All while God is working a perfect plan we settle for a substitute. The convincing part of Sarai’s plan was that it did produce an heir. It did give Abram a son, but not the way God had intended. 

I often say I wish God would send letters. It would be addressed to me and inside I would find neat bullets and precise directions for the next task. But that is not how He works. He works in faith and trust. He works in a journey and a relationship. I have to remind myself of that often when I am checking my God mailbox. For I have never found that bulleted letter, but I have found peace. He gives peace and reassurance that whatever promise He gave he will fulfill in his time. He is working on the promise and my part is to stay in the perfect peace and trust. 

Most of the Bible points back to the relationship He desires with his people.  He could have made little programmable robots, but he desired more. He desired a people who loved him, even when we have a choice to love another. While it is so easy to slip into the Hagar syndrome, finding our own solutions to the problems that we face, it only causes hurt and confusion. He is an on time God! He sees the future and takes it all into consideration. And although the journey can be long at times, we are not alone. He is walking with us! He is standing by with encouragement, peace, joy and and unfailing love that can take us through any trial. 

Lord, give peace today in any situation we may be going through. Help me turn away from the “Hagar syndrome” and the urge to make a substitution for the promise you have already started working.