“..for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.”
Roman’s 11:29 (NASB)
We are all imperfect, complicated people, who step out of God’s will at times, but He manages to work with every situation we find ourselves in. Like a GPS, God will re-route us back onto the correct path.
Instead of waiting patiently for their promised son, Abraham listened to Sarah, his wife, and had Ishmael through Hagar, their maidservant. It caused problems later when Sarah became jealous and resentful toward Hagar and her son. Sarah, who had a strong and strange personality, eventually threw them both out of their home. She is a major part of this story for a purpose, for us to learn from it. She laughed when the angel foretold the news that she would have a son the following year. The angel asked Sarah why she laughed, but she lied, denying that she had ever laughed. God shows us through Sarah, that He can still fulfill His promises, despite people who bring some type of dysfunction into the family dynamics.
Abraham was submissive to God, which is admirable, but it’s hard to read of his tolerance and compliance to Sarah’s demands. Despite the flawed relationship between Sarah, Abraham and Hagar, God continued to work His will out through it all. Nothing is too complicated for God, and He rerouted His plan. The gifts and calling of God are irrevocable, and He even protected Hagar and her son, making many nations out of Ishmael. Sarah finally became pregnant in her nineties, and bore Isaac, who became the promised father of the twelve tribes of the chosen nation of Israel.
Irrevocable is a powerful word, it means final, cannot be changed and is never going to be reversed. God worked through the complex family dynamics and still gave the gifts and the calling to Abraham, Sarah and Hagar, as He intended. Whatever God has planned for us, also cannot be revoked by our own shortcomings and mistakes. Stepping outside of His chosen path for us may delay things, but His gifts and calling will still come to pass. God is much more patient toward us than we are of each other. He works within our mistakes and redirects us back on the path He has planned. Maybe it was a mistake for Abraham to listen to Sarah, instead of waiting for the promised child, but Abraham is still regarded throughout scripture as righteous, because he believed God through it all. Our job is also to believe God and do our best to keep obeying Him. He will bring all His promises into a reality, while working through any of our shortcomings.
His ways are unsearchable and His wisdom is so rich, it’s hard to comprehend how He works within our flaws, but He does. This irrevocable calling comes straight out of His irrevocable love for us.
What a beautiful God we serve and we thank you Lord, for your patience toward us. You shower us with love and grace, by helping us to rise up over and again, so that we can experience the joy of your irrevocable love, gifts and calling. Amen