Genesis 16
What does it really mean to walk by faith?
In Genesis 16, we see Abraham, the father of faith, facing a situation where God’s promise seemed to be taking too long. Abraham and Sarah decided to take matters into their own hands, and Hagar became part of their attempt to fulfil God’s promise. What seemed like a reasonable solution at the time was not God’s plan.
This passage reminds us that God rarely gives us a blueprint for our lives. Instead, He calls us to walk by faith, to depend on Him and to trust the One who has made the promise. The more we know the giver of the promise, the less we need to understand exactly how or when it will be fulfilled.
We can so easily begin with a reasonable assumption and end up making a decision that takes us away from God’s purposes. So how do we learn to surrender our plans and genuinely pray, “Not my will, but Yours be done”?
The story of Hagar also reveals something beautiful about the character of God. When Hagar runs away from a difficult situation, God meets her exactly where she is. He sees her, knows where she has come from, understands her circumstances and, importantly, knows where she is going. God doesn’t always remove us from difficult situations, but He does meet us in them and has a purpose for what lies ahead.
Hagar responds by calling God “the God who sees me.” It is a powerful reminder that there are things each of us carries that nobody else sees—but God sees everything. He sees where we have come from, where we are now and the future He has prepared for us.
The passage encourages us not to allow our age, circumstances, mistakes or past to restrict what God can do through us. His purposes are not limited by our history. We are called to walk forward with Him, trusting Him with our future and allowing the gifts He has given us to be stirred up and used for His purposes.
The message concludes by looking at 2 Peter 1:3–4, reminding us that God has already given us everything we need for life and godliness and has called us to share in His promises.
God sees you. God knows where you have come from. And He knows where you are going. The invitation is simply to trust Him and keep walking with Him by faith.
