Today's reading finds us in a place very familiar to most of us. God made a promise to Abram; Abram believed, and time passed. God reaffirms the promise that Abram's offspring would be as the stars in the heavens and that he would be the father of nations. Abram believed, and time passed. We find both Abram and Sarai waiting. What happens during the wait is very important.
Waiting can make us vulnerable. Earlier in Genesis we witness the enemy of man employing one of his most commonly used tactics, "Did God really say, …" As we sit in the place between promise and fulfillment, we can easily allow access to the enemy by leaving open the door of doubt. We begin to wonder: Did I hear correctly? Does the promise apply to me? We may doubt ourselves; we may doubt God. Our faith and ability to believe is tested. In our limited imaginations, we struggle to envision how God will accomplish what He promised. As time passes and we wait, we easily empathize with Sarai. With our physical eyes, we fall to see all that God is working out behind the scenes. We fail to conceive the possibilities of how the promise will come to pass. We all too frequently are tempted to rely on our human ability to problem solve. Because we lack total insight into God's plans, we are tempted to take action apart from His. Have you found yourself in this precarious place? How do you refocus on God and His faithfulness? How do you pray? Does prayer become more difficult?
Abram believed God and it was counted as righteousness, and yet Saria was able to persuade him to take Hagar as a wife. The account gives no insight as to whether husband and wife sought God's will together. Had they asked the Lord to keep them in His will while they waited, the outcome may have been entirely different. The reason that God delayed in giving them the son of promise is not clear, but it was not accidental. Certainly God had knowledge of Hagar and Ishmael before Sarah conceived the plan, and He allowed it. It was not God's best plan for Sarai and Abram, but He permitted it. We rarely know what God is doing in the waiting, but Proverb 3:5 counsels us, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your path." Our human perceptions are subjective and our understanding incomplete. When we lean on our own understanding, we risk-- settling for less, lost time and opportunity, costly distractions and detours.
The Lord's prayer reminds us that God is Holy and His ways are good. He cannot lie or make a promise that He will not keep. It is best always to pray His will be done. We pray for the Spirit of Grace needed to submit our will to His own. We ask that God's will be accomplished in and through our lives.
Lord, keep us from settling for less than Your perfect will. Keep us from making You too small in our understanding. Help us to trust in Your plans and wait on Your flawless timing. We invite Your direction and ask for spiritual ears to hear and eyes to see You at work. Show us how to pray and protect us as we wait upon Your response.
No comments:
Post a Comment