If you want to help God out, don’t help God out.

What are the toughest jobs on earth: nuclear physicists, brain surgeons, parents, God. God? That’s right—God. It’s not an easy job—splitting seas, walking on water, turning water to wine. So, when you assume His duties, lend Him a hand, you are unwittingly saying, “God, I can do your job. You can’t do it alone. You need my help.” But His job isn’t easy. Ask Bruce.”

Bruce, Almighty was a comedy hit on the big screen, but on the biggest screen—life in the real lane—playing God is no laughing matter. Helping God to keep His promises will not produce His promises, but only problems for you. It may have been funny in Bruce, Almighty—the story of a man who thought he could do God’s job, but it wasn’t so funny for two women and a husband, in Genesis 16, who were caught in the wrong lane: trying to help God out.

Why trust God alone to do his job, to keep His promise?

Genesis 16 is a comedy of errors where we see Sarai help God give her husband, Abraham, a son. This son was part of God’s promise to bring a Seed-Son into the world to save mankind from itself. We see this unfold in The Seed: The Greatest Story Ever Told.

We will see two reasons why we should trust God alone to fulfill his promises. First, trust God alone despite man’s fruitless efforts to help that only creates hinderances for you. Second, trust God alone because God sees and hears the victims of man’s misplaced deeds. As we enter Lent, reflect on when you tried to help God out but failed, and look forward to His promises kept. When it comes to promises—unlike Bruce Almighty—God’s got the power.

First, trust God alone to keep his promises, despite man’s help that creates only hinderances for you. We see those hinderances in Sarai’s plan to overcome her barrenness to achieve God’s promise to give her husband a son so that he will be the father of many nations. It would begin with a first son through Sarai. But she hadn’t had children (and now she is 65). So, she hatched a plan to help God: give her maid to her husband.

4 He had sexual relations with Hagar, and she became pregnant. Once Hagar realized she was pregnant, she despised Sarai. 5 Then Sarai said to Abram, “You have brought this wrong on me! I allowed my servant to have sexual relations with you, but when she realized that she was pregnant, she despised me. May the Lord judge between you and me!”6 Abram said to Sarai, “Since your servant is under your authority, do to her whatever you think best.” Then Sarai treated Hagar harshly, so she ran away from Sarai.

What was meant to help God only caused hinderances and family drama. Tension, conflict, and complications were served at the breakfast table every morning.

• First, Hagar—a slave—now had the upper hand over her authority figure—Sarai, her mistress. The power dynamic shifted causing tension between them.

• In reaction, Sarai blamed Abraham for not supporting her when Hagar adopted a superior attitude, further adding conflict between Sarai and Hagar.

• Then, Abraham failed as the head of the house to handle the situation by shifting responsibility onto Sarai to resolve, now, a very complicated situation. In the end, Sarai forced Hagar out of the house.

Taking matters into her own hands and out of God’s hands has left everyone’s hands—Sarai, Abraham and Hagar— dirty. Sarai’s plan, like Eve’s plans, without God’s blessing, was not a help, but a hinderance to their blessings. Sarai got out of her lane, trying to help God. She got out of the faith lane.

Getting out of the faith lane has always been a hinderance to realizing God’s promises:

• The Israelites got out of the faith lane and feared going into the promised land after a negative report from the spies surveilling the opportunity. That lane change added forty years to their eventual entry into the promised land according to Numbers 32:13.

• Moses got out of the faith lane and struck the rock—out of anger—to bring water to an obstinate people. That lane change prevented Moses from entering the promised land. He saw it from a distance, but was not allowed to enter according to Numbers 20:12.

• Esau got out of the faith lane and sold his birthright for a bowl of Texas chili. Now the line of the Seed will go through Jacob according to Genesis 26.

Church, in your current situation, if you want to be blessed by God’s promises, stay in the faith lane. Don’t help God when it looks like He won’t come through. Trust God alone to keep His promises, despite man’s misguided attempts to help as that only create hinderances. When it comes to promises, unlike Bruce, Almighty, God’s got the power.

Second, trust God alone because God sees and hears the victims of man’s misplaced deeds. At a well, God saw and heard displaced Hagar and made promises to her.

…You are to name him Ishmael,for the Lord has heard your painful groans. Gen. 16:11b

13 So Hagar named the Lord who spoke to her, “You are the God who sees me,” …for she said, “Here I have seen one who sees me! Gen. 16:13

9 Then the Lord’s angel said to her, “Return to your mistress and submit to her authority. 10 I will greatly multiply your descendants,” the Lord’s angel added, “so that they will be too numerous to count.” Gen. 16: 9,10

As always, God’s promises require an active faith response. As it was for Abraham to make the difficult step to leave his father, God called Hagar to do the difficult thing: go back and submit to Sarai. God saw and heard the situation of Hagar and the child to be and determined what was best. It was the responsible thing to do to get blessed. She was going to have a child. The desert is no place to have a child. But back under the roof and rule of Sarai would best serve Hagar and the child to come.

God has always heard and seen the conditions that victimize his children.

• At a well, Jesus saw a Samaritan woman victimized by society’s constraints and ill-advised relationships. He freed her to go and worship him in spirit and truth.

• At an empty cupboard, God saw the Widow Zarephath and the little she had of oil and flour that was to be a final meal for her and her son. God called her to use her last food to feed the Prophet Elijah. In turn, when her son died of an unexplained illness, the prophet raised him from the dead.

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At Michigan State University mass shooting, God saw and heard the cries and prayers of the students. Three were killed, five were injured. Many more were saved, two of which were survivors, not just of this mass shooting, also of a mass shooting at their high school several years ago. Image that—surviving two mass shootings. Will there be a time when student’s will be faced with these shootings at all school levels and beyond? God sees and hears what our children are going through. The greater question is: will politicians hear and see, and do something more substantial with gun reform in America?

• God sees and hears the cries of LGBT kids who are being denied necessary medication by states who have introduced more than 85 bills to restrict gender-affirming health care.

Church, God sees and hears your predicament, too. Stay in the faith lane where God travels no matter how difficult the promises. Don’t help Him be God. Trust God alone because God sees and hears like He did Hagar. He will keep His promises to you and her. When it comes to promises, unlike Bruce, Almighty, God’s got the power.

CONCLUSION:

It may not feel that God will make good on His promises. But learn from the family drama of Abraham, Sarai and Hagar who were caught in the middle of a mess, trying to help God be God. Trust him alone to keep His promises despite man’s vain attempt to help that only creates hinderances to you. Second, trust God alone because God sees and hears the victims of man’s misplaced deeds.

As we enter Lent, reflect on when you tried to help God out but failed, and look forward to His promises already kept. When it comes to promises, unlike Bruce, Almighty, God’s got the power. No joke.