A bad step of faith?

I'm continuing to think about the story of Abraham, Sarah, and Hagar.  When Sarah (or Sarai, the wife) offers Hagar (the slave) to Abraham so that Abraham can have children with Hagar, my study bible adds the comment: "Sarai impatiently implied that God was not keeping His promise."  It's easy to look down out 21st century noses at Sarah, concluding that it was her impatience that started this whole mess of a story.  But is this really the case?

I put myself in Sarah's sandals.  She doesn't have our bible.  She doesn't even have the Ten Commandments.  She has a few stories handed down orally ... Adam and Eve (who didn't trust God) & Noah (who did).  And so when God promises her husband a child, she believes and then waits.  And waits.  And waits.

And somewhere in the waiting, she's got to realize:  at this point in her story, God has not promised HER a child, He's promised Abraham a child.  

Could it be that after waiting, and waiting, and waiting... Sarah concludes IN FAITH that the way God wants to give Abraham an heir is through another woman?  To demonstrate her belief in the promises of God, she wrongly reasons, she must offer Hagar.  I know to our ears this sounds crazy, but in Sarah's time this was common practice.  What if Sarah giving Hagar to Abraham was an act of faith?  What if, in the very act of suggesting it, Sarah is declaring "I believe in the promises of God"?

And what if Abraham, in accepting Sarah's suggestion, is also taking a step of faith?

Somehow, it seems easier to relate to this Abraham and Sarah.  Wrestling with how to put feet to their faith, they step out in their own power in order to demonstrate their faith.  And yes, making colossal mistakes in the process. 

What about you?  Do you wrestle with how to put feet to your faith?  Do you sometimes wonder if you are stepping out in your own power? 

Maybe you charge ahead, then suddenly wonder: did I run ahead of God?  I've been guilty.

Or perhaps you grab ahold of God's promise of joy, but then force a smile on your face, rather than seeking God's joy.  

I think we are more like Sarah than we realize.  Trusting.  Faith filled.  Confused.  Self-directed.  Making mistakes, even on our faith journey, that later results in a mess.  Wondering if the promises are for us or for someone else.

The good news?  Sarah is referred to as a woman of faith thousands of years later by the author of the book of Hebrews.  God saw Sarah's faith and honored it, even if it was misdirected.  

Hebrews 11: 11 And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered him faithful who had made the promise.

I think the author of Hebrews understands something that my bible commentator doesn't.  

There is good news in the soap opera of Abraham, Sarah, and Hagar.  Faith is honored, even when it's confused.  God keeps His promises in His own way, even when we try to wrestle them into our plan.  And mistaken, confused, messed-up people can still be heroes of the faith.  Good news, indeed, for all of us.