God is Working in Our Waiting
After this, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward”. But Abram said, “Sovereign LORD, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?” And Abram said, “You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir.” Then the word of the LORD came to him: “This man will not be your heir, but a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir.” He took him outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness. Genesis 15:1-6 (NIV)
What do you do when the doctor’s report is not what you were expecting? What about the wayward child you have prayed for and there’s no hint of his heart returning back to God? What do you do when the bills are due and the only thing you have is another interview with little hope you will get a job? You know that with God everything is possible and you pray asking God to change your situation and yet, things are not getting better and at times, seem to be getting worse. What is God up to? Is there something you are doing wrong to keep God from pouring His blessings upon you? Certainly if you knew what you could do to change the situation, you would do it immediately.
When we pray and do not hear from God, I believe God speaks through His Word. Certainly, your specific situation is not in scripture but we can see God’s heart and we can get a glimpse into the way He works.
God makes a covenant with Abram in Genesis 15. Abram is childless and the hope of ever having his own child appears impossible unless God intervenes with a miracle. God promises Abram that he will have a son and that’s not all, God promises his offspring will be as many as there are stars in the sky. Time passes on and no miracle, no pregnancy. Abram’s wife, Sarai, begins to question God’s words and decides to take the matter into her own hands. Waiting is one of the hardest things to do. But we can learn an important lesson from Sarai – it is better to wait on God and trust God than to put ourselves in the position of having God allow us to experience consequences that only make things worse.
Are you waiting on God? Have you been asking God to change your circumstances? I want to encourage you not to lose hope. Even though it may not appear that God is paying attention, you can believe and know that He is working all things out for your good and His glory. God is working in your waiting. He has a plan and when you put your hope in God, you will find the grace to wait. Resist the temptation to intervene on your own. Ask God to give you the strength to wait even when you do not see an answer to your prayers. The waiting often brings us the peace He alone can give us. He alone can bring calm in the midst of a storm.
FURTHER READING: Genesis 15-16