Main verse: Genesis 21:8-11, Genesis 18:1-18, Genesis 16:1-6

Good Morning,

The Lord had promised Abram that Sarai would have a child. Sarai, thinking she knew better, thought, “God must be crazy, having a child at the age of 99, it is impossible” so she decided to lend a hand to the Lord. I will tell you most assuredly that the biggest mistake we can ever make is “Helping the Lord’s prophecy to come true”. By letting Abram sire a child through Hagar, a pathway that would never be shut (Revelations 3:7). From Abram and Sarai, the son, “Ishmael”, would come the Muslim people (Muslim). The battles being waged in the Middle East today are a continuation of the fight that started between the child of the slave and the child of the promise (Genesis 21:8-11). Two things I know about God and they must always be remembered:

1. He does not nor ever will undo our mistakes in judgment by eradication or whatever; they become part of who we are.
2. When we commit our mistakes in judgment through repentance, God will bless them.

My encouragement for you today is that when you make mistakes in judgment, own them, embrace them, confess them, and repent. When Peter was restored to leadership by Jesus, the events of the night three days before did not cease to exist, they would be a source of hope for others who themselves have done things for which they are not proud. In essence, our mistakes can either haunt us to our death, like Judas, or they can become part of our testimony that leads to life, joy, and purpose (Revelations 12:10-12).

Father,

Our mistakes make us who we are and can no more be undone than one can pick a fight and come away unscathed. When Jesus shed his blood for the Israeli tribes as well as those who followed, it created a pathway to healing the divide; we are then accepted into your kingdom warts, blemishes, and all. Thank you Father for the pathway you opened for us that started at the cross and ends at Your throne. I pray especially for those who are caught in the crossfire of situations they did not create that You would heal and restore them; without Your help, they will languish but with You, they will have hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11).

I.H.S. MK