Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Waiting on His promises

During my quiet time I am studying the different women of the Bible.  I got a book of devotionals and such from a sweet lady at my church right after I graduated high school.  I've started and stopped this book several times.  I always come back to it, because it's fascinating to study these women and to see what role they had.  It's also refreshing to be able to relate to them somehow and to learn from them.

Right now I am currently reading about Sarah (Abraham's wife- Gen 17).  For most people they know Sarah as the woman who didn't have a child until she was 90 years old.  Many women who have fertility issues can relate to her and take hope from her experience.

As you start reading in Genesis 17 you will read about a woman who heard from God Himself that she was going to have a child.  And she laughed.  She thought it was absurd that she would have a child well past her child bearing years.  Instead of waiting for God to give her a child she took matters into her own hands.  She had one of her maid servants sleep with her husband and become pregnant.  Her maid servant (Hagar) had a son named Ishmael.  Sarah was never happy about the results of her husband having a child with her maid servant.  And there was always a conflict between Issac (the child that Sarah and Abraham would have) and Ishmael.  A conflict that still carries on to this very day.

Sarah was promised a child, but instead of waiting on God's timing she took matters into her own hands.  Because of her taking control of the situation we have and will continue to have conflict in the middle east and beyond between these two groups.  How much different would the world be today had Sarah quietly waited on God to fulfill His promise?

This got me thinking.. Am I the same way? Do I do things out of God's timing?  Yes.. I do.  Far too often.  What possible harmful choices am I making for myself?  My family?

Sometimes we as Christians think that if we just quietly sit back and let God do things at His pace that we are being lazy or less than worthy.  But the Bible tells us to be patient and quietly wait on God (Psalms 27:14, 130:5Isaiah 30:18; Micah 7:7)

When we push past God we are only going to make a mess of things.  But if we would just sit quietly, listening to God, we will get to receive His perfect promises.

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