Sarah and Hagar make an interesting pair. Sarah, so beautiful that Abraham was in continual danger of being bumped off because of her, was unable to bear children. Hagar (who was perhaps part of the compensatory gift that Abimelech offered Abraham in apology for nearly marrying his wife) was suddenly elevated from the role of servant to a second wife to her master. When she gave birth to Ishmael the very same kinds of jealousies, fears and rivalries that have split families forever caused Sarah to send her away. But God had a plan, and saved Hagar and Ishmael. He always has a back-up plan, and we are never alone, no matter how far into the wilderness we might have wandered.
Reading about Sarah and Hagar makes me wonder how many times we jump in to solve a problem without asking God what the best course might be? Years later, when Sarah overheard the angels saying that she would give birth to a child in her old age, she laughed. But once again God had a plan, and at the wonderful fulfillment of that prophecy Sarah named her darling boy Isaac, referring both to her initial laughter and her eventual rejoicing.
Seeing Our Lives Through His Eyes
When Spencer W. Kimball was called to lead the church in 1974, he was old, ill, and felt inadequate to the task. But almost immediately he began to reshape the vision of the church regarding missionary work. In his great address, "
When the World Will be Converted," delivered to audiences around the globe, he told the story of Sarah, laughing at the angelic prophecy, and challenged us to open our eyes and see what God could see. Many of us were a part of that great surge in missionary effort, and had the thrill of seeing prophecy in action, as thousands of young people heard a prophet's call and came into the mission field to teach their own countrymen and women. They rose to the vision.
What if we could see what God sees about our lives? What is it that now seems just too hard to overcome, that could be conquered with His help? Perhaps it's worth asking ourselves, when we feel overwhelmed, "Is anything too hard for the Lord?" and invite Him to show us what He sees that we are missing.
