Genesis 16

Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. And she had an Egyptian maidservant whose name was Hagar. So Sarai said to Abram, “See now, the Lord has restrained me from bearing children. Please, go in to my maid; perhaps I shall obtain children by her.” And Abram heeded the voice of Sarai. Then Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar her maid, the Egyptian, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan. So he went in to Hagar, and she conceived. And when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress became despised in her eyes. Genesis 16:1-4 NKJV

This was a test for Sarai and Abram, to see if they would wait for God to deliver what He had promised.  God had promised Abram a son by Sarai (see Genesis 15:4 and 17:16), but since it appeared God was not following through, she took matters into her own hands.  Does that sound familiar? Have you ever tried or wanted to “help” God in your life?  We often would like to carry out our own plans and then have God bless them, but He is not obligated to bless or care for the things we give birth to out of the strength of our flesh. The psalmist confirms this point: “Except the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it” (Psalms 127:1).