O GOD WHEN WILL I EVER LISTEN TO YOU?

Now Sarai, Abram’s wife bore him no children. She had an Egyptian slave girl whose name was Hagar, and Sarai said to Abram, “You see that the Lord has prevented me from bearing children; go in to my slave girl; it maybe that I shall obtain children by her’ And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai … he went in to Hagar and she conceived … and Hagar looked with contempt on Sarah…then Sarah dealt harshly with her and she fled from her presence” Genesis 16:1-6

One of my saddest experiences in life was with an encounter with one of my students. I am a part time law lecturer and over the years I have had the privilege of meetings thousands of students. Her story- My mother was a pub woman- had an affair with a rich man and got pregnant with me- his wife found out, she came over with her relatives, shaved my mums head bald, together they beat her and warned her she would kill my mother if she ever tried to contact her husband again. One day my mother pointed out my father at the local Supermarket. He quickly turned his face the other way. That *&^%$#@ bastard!!!

I saw the anger in her eyes and the sadness in her face. Just one mans act of foolishness and there comes along a history of pain, sorrow and acts of revenge. Most of the friendships and acquaintances we enter into seem pleasant at the time. The initial courtesies, the smiling faces and the warm handshakes. If the conversation takes on a religious angle, with many religious phrases exchanged in the process, one becomes more vulnerable and ends up getting into friendships and relationships that were not meant to be.

And the victim in this story is Hagar. But it also cost Abram something- a future of endless conflicts and battles between the Ishmaelites and the Jewish race. It is a blood soaked history with border wars and suicide bombings.

May I suggest this to everyone out there- strange thought it may seem. You can be everybody’s friend- because as Christians we are called to love and to serve. But don’t make the mistake thinking that you can take everyone to be your friend. Ignore this advice and you will pay a painful price sooner or later. Be a brother and a sister, that’s good enough!!

And the greatest mistake of Abram in this story is this- And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai. If only Abram had prayed about the matter and listened to what God had to say in that situation!! God, are you in this? And the tragedy is that he did not consult God about such an important decision in his life. May I suggest that you pray who you should fellowship with, because in many ways our thoughts and our attitudes are conditioned by those with whom we fellowship. And we usually heed the voice of those around us. Pray about the matter before opening your ears to anybody and before the poison flows in.

Today although we are a developed nation, there are more and more unwanted children roaming our streets. Who are their parents? And there seem to be more and more angry and fuming people out there. What has happened? Further our divorce Courts are very busy these days- Christians included. It makes a mockery of the religious rites….for better or for worse, in sickness and in health…..till death do us part…that is, if another suitable candidate doesn’t show up before death…