A Delay is not a Denial

from The Book Beautifully and Wonderfully Made http://www.bit.ly/beautymade

 Genesis 18:10-14  (NIV)

Then one of them said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son.”  Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him.  Abraham and Sarah were already very old, and Sarah was past the age of childbearing.  So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, “After I am worn out and my lord is old, will I now have this pleasure?”  Then the LORD said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really have a child, now that I am old?’ Is anything too hard for the LORD? I will return to you at the appointed time next year, and Sarah will have a son.”

 I love the summer, and I love the beach. Actually, I love every part of the warm and hot weather.  I have a spring countdown, so that as I deal with the snow of winter, I don’t forget that soon it will be warm again.  When I am in the midst of the reality of shoveling snow, cold temperatures, icy roads, and the darkness of winter, I can picture my spring and then my summer.  As I wait, God may allow me to experience a warm day where the cold dissipates and I can anticipate and celebrate what the warm weather will be like when it comes.  On those days, I hold on to the memory, and expectations that a day will come when I can barbeque some hot dogs or chicken wings, put my feet in the ocean water, and just lay in the sun.

With life, and especially life in faith, we are expectant of God’s promises.  We believe that God is going to do what He has promised, but we just don’t know when.  Unlike my spring countdown clock, which is predictable based on where I am located on the earth, my God clock is more mysterious.  I can’t see the clock of God, knowing that at this specific time or season, things will be different, things will change, or my prayer will be answered.  Those waiting moments can be frustrating, and at times can shake our faith or make us even wonder if we have heard from God at all. The good news is that the reality of my God clock is something entirely different.  God is always at work, even during the times when we can’t see what He is doing. It’s during those times, where He seems silent that He is often doing more work than we can even imagine.

In the passage above, we see Abraham and Sarah, who have received some promises from God that have not yet come to pass.  Their names have been changed, and they had tried to rush God’s timetable by putting their own solutions to work.  We see what happened with their plan, in Genesis 16:1-2, where Sarah and Abraham, used Hagar as a surrogate so Abraham could have a child. God told Abraham a total of three times that He would have an heir.  This passage of scripture was the second time God had told Abraham that Sarah would be the mother, as they waited for God’s promise to manifest.  In the meantime, they were getting older, beyond the age and time where they felt like God’s manifestation was possible.  They were outside of the allotted time period where those things typically made sense or even seemed rational.  But God!

I am sure you have been there as well, where you want to trust God.  You know He’s never left you or forsaken you; you know that He’s faithful. Sometimes, waiting hurts, and you are human, so waiting for what God has said to come to pass is hard! The word for you today is “Be encouraged.”  In Genesis 18:14, we are reminded of this when the angel of the Lord asks, “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” The answer is, “NO!” God can turn ANY situation around. He can come in during the final seconds of the game, and score the winning touchdown. He can turn a terminal cancer diagnosis around, so that when the doctors look again, they won’t find a trace of disease.  His promises are yes and Amen, so remember you may be delayed, but you are never denied. God’s plan B’s are better than our plan A’s.  So as you sit with your dreams, and His promises, know that He has not forgotten about you, He’s just making sure you are ready for all that He has in store for you.  Decide now not to let yourself get discouraged, HE is ABLE and HE is working it out. So just like I have my spring countdown, start a God count-up calendar every day. Wake up expectantly, trusting God that today He can turn your situation around, and wait patiently until He does.

Prayer:

Lord, I know that your way is always perfect; it is perfectly timed and perfectly orchestrated to accomplish what you need to accomplish in my life.  I love you enough to trust that You will do just what You said You will do. I will wait and praise You, even giving a sacrifice of praise whenever I feel anxious.  Lord, You are not a man that You should lie. Help me, Lord, to hold out in my waiting, and to trust You while I wait!  I thank you Lord, for salvation, strength, love, and for joy unspeakable!  I thank You Lord that no weapon formed against me shall prosper, and that Your word does not come back void.  I will stand and wait for you to move.  I celebrate and thank You that what You promise will come my way.  In Jesus’ name, I pray.  Amen.