Genesis 18:14 (AMPC)
“Is anything too hard or too wonderful for the Lord? At the appointed time, when the season [for her delivery] comes around, I will return to you and Sarah shall have borne a son.”
I don’t like to wait. I’m not sure that anyone really does. Waiting is hard! Impatience is definitely something I struggle with. Oftentimes, I try to hurry things along so that I can get to that end goal as fast as possible. Sarah did the same when she gave her maidservant, Hagar, to Abraham as a second wife. Talk about trying to rush things along! Sarah was so desperate to have a child and to see the promises of God come to pass that she added Hagar to the mix.
If you’ve read the Genesis narrative of Abraham and Hagar, you know the outcome was less than desirous. Sarah was tormented by her choice, and Hagar wasn’t too happy with the situation either. Luckily, Sarah’s attempts to help God along didn’t stop God from fulfilling His promise to her. There is great comfort for all of us in that fact. We can delay the promises of God when we take matters into our own hands, but we can’t thwart them entirely. God is still sovereign over all.
But I think the lesson here is that while waiting for God to fulfill His promises to us is difficult, the end result is always worth it. So if you’re in a season of waiting, I encourage you to turn your focus onto the journey itself. Wait well. Waiting isn’t a passive thing. Waiting well is an active pursuit. Enjoy the journey, and remind yourself as often as required that God is always on time, even if it’s not on our time! The wait is well worth it in the end.
Prayer: Father, I thank you that you fulfill all Your promises to us. I thank you that even when we try to get involved and end up messing things up, You are still faithful to Your Word. You always come through! I know that You are always on time. You are never early. You are never late. In this season of waiting, help me to wait well. Open my eyes to the wonders along the way while I wait for the appointed time that You have set for my promise to be fulfilled. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
A Beautiful Mess 