No Broken Promises

Genesis 16:1 & 2 and
Genesis 17:1

What happens when God makes us a promise, but we get impatient and try to make the promise come true on our own? Does God become angry? Does He withdrawal His promise because we didn't trust Him enough to let Him do it His way?

Sarai, Abram's wife, thought she had a solution to the infertility problem. If you read the whole of Chapter 16, you see what a mess this solution made. But what's interesting here is how God reacted to Abram and Sarai. He didn't "call off" the deal; instead, He restates it and makes it even stronger! He changes their names so that every time someone calls them by name they will be reminded of God's promise. Their very identity is now tied to what God is doing for them.

It's amazing to me - even when I blow it and fail, God still keeps His promises. My bad acts don't turn Him away - He doesn't "call off" the deal. He still wants me to be a part of His kingdom, He still forgives me of my sins, He still wants my companionship. Truly amazing.