Wait for God’s Time
May 31, 2018
“…The testing of your faith
develops perseverance.”
(James 1:3)
develops perseverance.”
(James 1:3)
How long do we wait for the promises of the Lord to be fulfilled?
One day, the Lord appeared to Abraham in a vision. He assured Abraham that He is his shield and his very great reward. But Abraham expressed to God the unbearable pain he had been harbouring in his heart. Abraham said, “O Sovereign Lord, what can you give me since I remain childless?” The Lord promised Abraham that He would bless him with descendants as numerous as the stars of the sky.
Abraham believed God. But as time passed by, one day Sarah said to Abraham, “The Lord has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my maidservant, perhaps I can build a family through her.” And Abraham agreed to what Sarah said.
Do we blame Abraham for taking matters into his own hands to secure an offspring? No, we cannot. Abraham had been waiting on God for ten years! So far, his promised son had not arrived. In a foreign land, Abraham waited … and waited … His wife Sarah was well past the age of child-bearing. And so Abraham heeded the voice of Sarah. He slept with Hagar and she conceived and gave birth to Ishmael. Little did he know, however, that his act done in haste would cause great problems not only to him but to all his descendants in the years to come.
Dear friends, how long do we wait for the promises of the Lord to be fulfilled in our lives? A week? A couple of months? A year? In this age when everything is revolving at a very fast rate, we rarely need to wait for anything. When our plans do not work out immediately, we lose patience and think of some other way to get things done. God, however, does not work on our timetable.
Abraham believed God. But as time passed by, one day Sarah said to Abraham, “The Lord has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my maidservant, perhaps I can build a family through her.” And Abraham agreed to what Sarah said.
Do we blame Abraham for taking matters into his own hands to secure an offspring? No, we cannot. Abraham had been waiting on God for ten years! So far, his promised son had not arrived. In a foreign land, Abraham waited … and waited … His wife Sarah was well past the age of child-bearing. And so Abraham heeded the voice of Sarah. He slept with Hagar and she conceived and gave birth to Ishmael. Little did he know, however, that his act done in haste would cause great problems not only to him but to all his descendants in the years to come.
Dear friends, how long do we wait for the promises of the Lord to be fulfilled in our lives? A week? A couple of months? A year? In this age when everything is revolving at a very fast rate, we rarely need to wait for anything. When our plans do not work out immediately, we lose patience and think of some other way to get things done. God, however, does not work on our timetable.
One day, the Lord appeared to Abraham in a vision. He assured Abraham that He is his shield and his very great reward. But Abraham expressed to God the unbearable pain he had been harbouring in his heart. Abraham said, “O Sovereign Lord, what can you give me since I remain childless?” The Lord promised Abraham that He would bless him with descendants as numerous as the stars of the sky.
Abraham believed God. But as time passed by, one day Sarah said to Abraham, “The Lord has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my maidservant, perhaps I can build a family through her.” And Abraham agreed to what Sarah said.
Do we blame Abraham for taking matters into his own hands to secure an offspring? No, we cannot. Abraham had been waiting on God for ten years! So far, his promised son had not arrived. In a foreign land, Abraham waited … and waited … His wife Sarah was well past the age of child-bearing. And so Abraham heeded the voice of Sarah. He slept with Hagar and she conceived and gave birth to Ishmael. Little did he know, however, that his act done in haste would cause great problems not only to him but to all his descendants in the years to come.
Dear friends, how long do we wait for the promises of the Lord to be fulfilled in our lives? A week? A couple of months? A year? In this age when everything is revolving at a very fast rate, we rarely need to wait for anything. When our plans do not work out immediately, we lose patience and think of some other way to get things done. God, however, does not work on our timetable.
Abraham believed God. But as time passed by, one day Sarah said to Abraham, “The Lord has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my maidservant, perhaps I can build a family through her.” And Abraham agreed to what Sarah said.
Do we blame Abraham for taking matters into his own hands to secure an offspring? No, we cannot. Abraham had been waiting on God for ten years! So far, his promised son had not arrived. In a foreign land, Abraham waited … and waited … His wife Sarah was well past the age of child-bearing. And so Abraham heeded the voice of Sarah. He slept with Hagar and she conceived and gave birth to Ishmael. Little did he know, however, that his act done in haste would cause great problems not only to him but to all his descendants in the years to come.
Dear friends, how long do we wait for the promises of the Lord to be fulfilled in our lives? A week? A couple of months? A year? In this age when everything is revolving at a very fast rate, we rarely need to wait for anything. When our plans do not work out immediately, we lose patience and think of some other way to get things done. God, however, does not work on our timetable.
Dear friends, how long do we wait for the promises of the Lord to be fulfilled in our lives? A week? A couple of months? A year? In this age when everything is revolving at a very fast rate, we rarely need to wait for anything. When our plans do not work out immediately, we lose patience and think of some other way to get things done. God, however, does not work on our timetable.
Often, when we are anxious to hurry up, God actually wants us to slow down. Instead, we resort to “helping” God. That’s what Abraham did. He thought he could speed along God’s promise of countless descendants by having a child with Hagar. We are no different than Abraham and Sarah. We hate to wait. We equate waiting with “doing nothing” and “wasting time”. But waiting for God requires self-discipline.
Waiting reminds us that we do not know what is best for us and that the best plan for our lives will always be God’s plan fulfilled in His timing. So, let us therefore submit to His control of our lives and moulding of our plans.
Often, when we are anxious to hurry up, God actually wants us to slow down. Instead, we resort to “helping” God. That’s what Abraham did. He thought he could speed along God’s promise of countless descendants by having a child with Hagar. We are no different than Abraham and Sarah. We hate to wait. We equate waiting with “doing nothing” and “wasting time”. But waiting for God requires self-discipline.
Waiting reminds us that we do not know what is best for us and that the best plan for our lives will always be God’s plan fulfilled in His timing. So, let us therefore submit to His control of our lives and moulding of our plans.