Waiting is not something I do particularly well. When I have a task that needs to be tackled, I make a list and I come up with a plan, and then I act. I suspect I’m not alone here. Waiting can be difficult and sometimes downright miserable, but there are times we are called to wait.
Sometimes God is growing us for something bigger and better than we could imagine, but we aren’t ready yet. Sometimes He is putting all of the little pieces into place before it’s time for us to act. It’s really amazing when you can look back and have a light bulb moment when you understand why you had to wait. Sometimes we don’t get that moment; yet we’re still called to trust and obey. Obedience sometimes means waiting.
When we decide that we can no longer wait on God to guide us or to provide for us and we act on our own, disaster can occur.
Just look at Sarah in Genesis. God had promised Abraham children, repeatedly. Years went by and Sarah didn’t conceive. They had been in Canaan for ten years when she uttered the words that would cause her so much heartache down the road.
“So, she said to Abram, “The Lord has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my maidservant perhaps I can build a family through her.” Genesis 16:2a
Perhaps seems like such a harmless word. Dictionary.com defines it simply as “maybe, possibly.” But, if we learn anything about the nature of God from reading the Bible, we know He doesn’t do “maybe.”
God gives commands. He doesn’t waffle or change His mind. He’s decisive. When He told Abraham that He would build a nation through Him, it was a promise. God always keeps His promises.
Maybe Sarah was tired of waiting. Maybe she panicked. She was way past childbearing years. Still, she could have obediently waited on God to act, but she didn’t.
Her maidservant became pregnant. There were problems between she and Sarah from the moment the stick turned blue.
God did provide a child as He promised, and some thirteen or so years later, Isaac was born to Sarah, some twenty-five years after God’s original promise.
The first son, the one that Sarah orchestrated would be a problem for the Jews throughout history. Modern day Muslims trace their roots back to him.
Who would have ever believed that such a rash decision to take matters into her own hands, could have caused so much heartache even thousands of years later?
There’s a little Sarah in all of us. We all get tired and impatient. We want our answers or our blessings and we want them now, but God doesn’t work that way.
When we grow in our faith, we learn obedience. The Holy Spirit teaches us patience and self-control. When we learn to wait, our faith multiplies exponentially.
And when God does finally act, be prepared for fireworks. His plan is always worth waiting for. Sometimes I need reminding. Maybe you do too.
Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂
