“The Angel of the Lord said to her, “Return to your
mistress, and submit yourself under her hand.” – Genesis 16:9
Abraham’s wife Sarah
had an Egyptian maid servant whose name was Hagar. Sarah was barren and so she
thought of getting a child through her servant. So she gave Hagar as wife to
Abraham. Soon Hagar conceived.
Hagar was a servant woman
but Sarah gave her a good position but yet when she saw that she had conceived
she despised her mistress who gave her a good life. Sarah could not bear this and so she begun to
dealt with her harshly. Hagar decided to flee from the presence of Sarah.
Though she was
pregnant, she ran away from Sarah to a far place. One thing that happened next
was interesting. The Angel of the Lord found Hagar in a particular place and
asked her to go back and be submissive to her mistress Sarah.
If you see in a human
perspective the word that came from the Lord to Hagar through the Angel was a
tough one. How come God can ask her to go back and be submissive to the one who
has dealt harshly with her?
God asked and Hagar
simply obeyed God’s word without any argument. She should have argued with God
but yet she had not done that. She had returned back to Sarah and submitted
herself to her through which she actually had submitted her life to God’s plan.
Being a woman how are
you reacting to a harsh situation? Your in-laws might be dealing with you
harshly or your husband himself might not understand your pain. You might be
working and your boss or the one who is in authority might be dealing with you
in a harsh way for no reason.
Because of those
people you might have a feeling to run away from your family responsibilities
or resign from your job. Your teachers or your friends might behave with you in
a tough way and so you might hate your studies.
How will you react if
an Angel of God meet you today and ask you to be submissive to your in-laws or
husband or boss or some other one. You might have thousands of reasons to tell
the Angel that why you can’t be submissive. Hagar never said a word. God knows
the pain and affliction of Hagar. That’s why He told her that He has heard her
affliction but yet He asked her to be submissive to Sarah.
You might see the
present situation of your life but God sees the whole plan of your life. If God
wants you to be submissive to your mother in law or father in law, be
submissive without arguing and putting forth your reasons before Him. If God
wants you to be submissive to your husband, be submissive. If God wants you to
be submissive to your head of the workplace, be submissive without speaking any
word against that authority.
You might see the
current situation where you are facing tough times but God sees the whole plan
of your life. He knows that Hagar and her son will live if they live under the
care of Abraham and so He asked her to be submissive to Sarah. Hagar obeyed God’s
word and she and her son lived without any problem till her son grew up to a
certain age. God fulfilled His promise in the life of Hagar’s son and they
multiplied.
If you depend on God’s
word you will multiply and you will live. But if you depend on your own ego,
you will perish. Ask God that how you should behave to your in-laws, husband or
the one who is in higher authority. Obey what God ask you to do. Then you will
be a wise woman and through you, your family and others will be blessed.
I know a young girl
who got married recently. Her husband loved her a lot but her in-laws treated
her in a different way. She could not stay in that house when her husband was
not there. She struggled a lot and later she got a counselling from someone
asking her to accept her in-laws just as they are and be submissive to them.
She took that advice and started to love her in-laws. Now she is pregnant and
living a happy life as a family.
Be a wise woman by
obeying what God ask you to do. You will be blessed and you will be a blessing.
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