One of the biggest frustrations with waiting is how long things seem to take. We’ve all waited for justice, recognition, that long-awaited letter or call from a loved one or for a relationship to heal. Whether we recognize it or not, waiting is a constant in our lives. At any given moment we’re all waiting for something or someone.
Waiting patiently is hard, especially in a culture with a microwave mentality and an on-demand urgency in everything from meals to work to traffic even our relationships. We want what we want and we want it yesterday. In this climate of instant gratification, we can easily feel as if we’ve been waiting forever for something, even if it’s only been a relatively short time.
Tolstoy said, “The strongest of all warriors are these two, time and patience.” Yet so often we give away our strength in favor of immediacy. Perhaps instead of asking “How long should we wait”, the more important question is, “Can we wait?” Or more specifically, “What happens if we don’t wait?”
Like Abram, we can get pretty tired of waiting for that something to happen. Ten years after God had promised Abram that he would be the father of many nations he was still childless and he lamented to God about his situation. In Genesis 15:1-6 God told Abram, “Look up at the heavens and count the stars—if indeed you can count them. Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” Now, that’s an amazing promise.
Yet, it wasn’t too long after this promise that a bewildered Abram lapsed in faith with a little help from his wife Sarai. What’s going on, how on earth is God going to fulfill his promise? There must be a way God, it’s been years of waiting with no visible results.
As was the custom of the day and certainly not God-inspired, Sarai suggests a short-cut and adamantly begs her husband, “Go sleep with my handmaiden and we can build a family through her.” Maybe Abram thought, that sounds good to me, sure why not?
Sarai made her own plan that seemed good to her and plus it was acceptable to her culture. Sound familiar? Abram could of, should of, but he didn’t. If Sarai thought Lot gave them a whole lot of problems, she had no idea the radical impact of her decision would have upon her own family and centuries to come.
They couldn’t wait and took matters into their hands. Gosh, that sounds way too familiar for all of us.
For 13 years both of them told everybody that God blessed their decision. The child Ishmael was the promised one, the heir apparent, and the fulfillment of God’s promise. Then something happened that rocked their world that changed their names and lives forever.
Twenty-five years after God’s promise in Genesis 12:1-4 God visits Abram and tells him that He is now going to fulfill His promise. (Gen.17:1-18) Abram can’t believe it, are you kidding me, we’re in our nineties? Abram cries out, “Oh that Ishmael might live.” Can you hear the pain in that statement? Don’t you see God I want this so bad I’ve been telling everyone in my family and friends… Don’t you see this is how it’s supposed to be? This looks really bad for me now.
God’s responded, “Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him.” (Gen.17:19) Aren’t you glad that despite our many failings God faithfully fulfills His promises! They are not dependent upon us, but upon God’s faithfulness to keep His word!
Waiting on the Lord is essential to growing in our faith journey. May we learn from Abraham that running ahead of God and creating and trusting our own resources can create problems for us and those we love and we can miss God’s best. God helps us. We need His help!
The good news is that there is more to Abraham’s life journey than this lapse of faith that we can learn from and apply.
Questions for personal reflection and conversation
Like Abram and Sarai have you been waiting for something for such a long time that you are taking matters into your own hands? Was that effective and where has that gotten you in the past?
What or who can help you to know that God loves and cares about you and has only the best in mind for you? It’s never too late to change course despite your circumstances and deepen your trust in God’s faithfulness!
Read: Psalm 62:5-8; Isaiah 64:4; I Peter 5:7
