“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭3‬:‭5‬-6

In Genesis 15, God had promised Abraham that he and Sarai would have a son and that their descendants would be as numerous as the stars. But in Genesis 16:1–2, we read that Sarai came up with her own plan to accomplish God’s will. She was not willing to wait on God during the time of silence. How often do our circumstances cause us to lean on our own understanding instead of trusting in the Lord with all our hearts (Proverbs 3:5–7) when He seems silent? How easy it is to take matters into our own hands instead of acknowledging Him in all our ways and allowing Him to direct our paths!

The real tragedy was not only their adultery but also their independence, doubt, and self-will. Their sin started the longest war in history! This conflict between the Israelites, descended from Isaac, and the Arabs, descended from Ishmael, continues even today. The Holy Land remains a hotspot because of this one poor decision made by two people almost 4,000 years ago! Their sin caused animosity between Sarai and Hagar and between Sarai and Abraham (Gen. 16:4–5). Think how much better it would have been had they waited on the Lord. How much more peaceful the world might have been!

In Mark 4:35–41, we see the disciples in the boat with the Lord when a great storm arose. The waves beat into the boat, and the wind tossed them about. We have all experienced those kinds of storms in life. There seems to be no hope, no light in the dark clouds. But notice one thing that stands out in this story: the Lord was in the boat with them! The disciples were so afraid that they even asked, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” If we are honest, there have been times when we have felt the same way! But we need to remember that, during the darkest storm, Jesus is the Lord of the storm! Take your stand with Him, not with your circumstances. He is able to calm the storm in your life this very moment. Trust Him!

In the Old Testament, we read of a time in Elisha’s life when he and his young servant were surrounded by enemy forces (2 Kings 6:8–17). The odds were completely against them! Their circumstances were grim, with no apparent hope. But Elisha depended on the Lord, trusting fully in the One who was for him! “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31).

Anchor For Today:
May we learn to trust Him and wait on Him, even when He seems silent!