Reverend Marco Ste-Marie

Control is often born out of fear — and fear-driven control always breaks things because it’s so rigid.

Fear is one of the strongest forces in human life. Fear of failure. Fear of the unknown. Fear of being left behind. When fear and insecurity grab us, we scramble for control.

In Genesis 16, we meet Abraham and Sarah, who God had promised that they would have a child.

However, years passed, and nothing changed. Their fear of being childless grew stronger, and insecurity began to control their decisions. Instead of waiting for God’s timing, Sarah came up with her own plan. She told Abraham to have a child with her servant, Hagar. Abraham agreed, and Hagar gave birth to Ishmael.

This choice may have seemed like a solution, but it created jealousy, tension, and pain in their family.

The story shows how fear of the unknown can push us to take control instead of trusting God. When we act out of insecurity, we often create more problems than solutions.

For the original hearers of this story, the lesson was blunt: when you try to force God’s promise into your own timeline, you get chaos.

The birth of Ishmael brought rivalry, tension, and heartache into that family.

And isn’t that how it works today? When fear drives us, we cut corners. We push people. We force outcomes. Instead of peace, we get strife. Instead of joy, we get exhaustion.

Fear whispers, “If you don’t control this, it will all fall apart.” But fear doesn’t create safety; it creates more insecurity.

Fear-driven control puts us in the driver’s seat of a car we can’t steer.

God calls us to trust. Not passive waiting, but active faith. Trust is saying, “I don’t know how this will turn out, but I know Who holds it.” Trust is what frees us from the crushing weight of trying to manage every detail.

Maybe you’re thinking, “But if I let go, what if everything falls apart?”

Friend, it might not go the way you planned. But sometimes God’s plan is better than your plan. Sometimes the outcome you fear never even happens.

Abraham and Sarah’s mistake is a caution, but it’s also a comfort. Because even when we mess it up, God still works. God kept His promise. Isaac came. The covenant stood.

Which means this: even if you’ve made a fear-driven choice, God’s mercy is bigger than your mistake.

Fear-driven control always breaks things — but faith-filled trust always makes space for God to act.