January 5, 2007

The Waiting

[Abraham] believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness. —Genesis 15:6

Any mother can tell you that waiting to give birth is an experience that builds patience. But pity the poor mother elephant. It takes about 22 months for an unborn elephant to mature to birth! The shark known as the spiny dogfish has a pregnancy duration of 22-24 months. And at elevations above 4,600 feet, the Alpine salamander endures a gestational period of up to 38 months!

Abraham could have identified with these examples from nature. In his old age, the Lord made a promise to him: "I will make you a great nation" (Gen. 12:2). But as the years passed, Abraham questioned how the fulfillment of the promise was possible without even the basic building block of a son (15:2). So God assured him, "One who will come from your own body shall be your heir" (v.4).

Despite his advanced age, Abraham believed God and was called righteous (v.6). Yet he waited 25 years from the time of the initial promise for Isaac to be born (17:1,17).

Waiting for God’s promises to be fulfilled is part of trusting Him. No matter how long the delay, we must wait for Him. As the writer of Hebrews reminds us, "Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful" (Heb. 10:23).

Not so in haste, my heart!
Have faith in God, and wait;
Although He seems to linger long,
He never comes too late. —Torrey

God always performs what He promises.

Bible in One Year: Genesis 13-15; Matthew 5:1-26