God's Timing or Mine?

One trait about myself that I wish I didn’t have is my impatience to wait on things. At Christmas or on my birthday it drives me nuts to know there is a present somewhere in the house for me, and either I can’t find it or if I do it’s already wrapped!

There have been times when I have searched and found gifts my husband has gotten me, and I just couldn’t stand it and I peeked!!! Now I know by me doing that I ruined the surprise for me, and then I ruined it for my husband. Even though he didn’t know I peeked my reaction was not what it should have been for Him.

I couldn’t just be satisfied knowing there gift was promised to me. I took into my own hands and control and did what I wanted because I couldn’t wait and because of that I ruined it.

There are times when the Lord tells us something and because were tired of waiting we take it into our own hands. The story of Abraham and his wife is a story similar to this very illustration.

The Lord told Abraham in Genesis 15:4 “And, Behold the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir. And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.”

The Lord was telling Abraham in this passage that He was going to bless him with a son and that his descendants would be more than the number of the stars in the sky. Now the Bible does not specifically say that Abraham’s wife Sarah would be giving birth to a child although given the fact that they were married it would make sense that the Lord was meaning the two of them together would bear children.

One also needs to remember that this was not the first conversation God and Abraham had had. Back in Genesis 12 God told him to leave his country when he was 75 years old and he did so he must have believed and trusted in God or else he would not have left. There are a few more conversations up to this point that he and the Lord had had together and one could say that He trusted in the Lord and obviously knew Gods voice.

Look now in Genesis 16:1-6. The word of God tells us that Sarah felt that the Lord had prevented her from having children so she decided to take it in her own hands. She went to Abraham and said these words “Now behold, the Lord has prevented me from bearing children. Please go into my maid; perhaps I shall obtain children through her”. And Abraham listened to the voice of Sarah. In Genesis 16:3-4 we also read “And after Abraham had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, Abraham’s wife Sarah took Hagar the Egyptian, her maid and gave her to her husband Abraham as his wife. And he went in to Hagar and she conceived, and when she saw that she had conceived her mistress was despised in her sight.” The Lord then tells Abraham in chapters 17 that he and Sarah are going to have a child together and Abraham can’t believe this. He says he’s too old at a 100 years and Sarah at 90 years. Abraham tells his wife this and she just starts laughing – she doesn’t believe it for a minute.

God then asks Abraham “Why did she laugh – is there anything too difficult for the Lord?” Well the story ends with Sarah conceiving and giving birth to their son who they named Isaac. Imagine for Sarah having to wait that long in life to have a child, and at that age. The Lord was faithful to His promise to Abraham in the end. If Abraham had just trusted that God was going to give him a child ( through his marriage to Sarah) and waited, a lot of hurt could have been avoided.

Think of the pain that was caused by this decision. I don’t know any woman who would willingly let her husband do this sort of thing. Think of the jealously and bitterness it would cause – and did cause for Sarah and Hagar. Sarah desperately wanted, children, as I’m sure Abraham did. To them this seemed like the only possible way and they chose it. They chose it out of desperation, and that choice caused a lot of pain for a lot of people.

There are several things to learn from this story:

1. Trust in the Lord 100% all the time. It doesn’t matter what things appear to be – trust what He has said to you.

2. Do not take things into your own hands because you are tired of waiting for the promise to come to pass. There is always a repercussion to others and to us when we do this. Seek His ways, not your own ways.

3. Be in constant communication with the Lord. Listen when He speaks to you because you need His instruction and obey whatever He tells you.

4. The Lord is faithful – 100% of the time. When He tells you something it will come to pass. You may not know when or how but it will happen.

Abraham had to wait 25 years for Isaac, but the Lord also blessed him with 75 additional years with his son, because he lived to be 175 years old.

Now maybe you’re thinking “Well that’s great for Abraham because he had heard the Lord's promise – what has God told me”? God’s word to us has an answer for every question or problem we could ever have. If it’s about marriages, finances, children, and friendships there is a word in the Bible for you.

So He does have a word- a promise for every situation that we face. There is nothing that God does not have an answer for you about. Whatever you are believing God for trust me He will bring it to pass. Do not get discouraged when the manifestation of the answer isn’t coming as fast as you want it to.

He knows the perfect timing for every situation and He won’t let you down. Sometimes we can tire of waiting and we take it into our own hands and then regret it later. We’ll look back and say to ourselves “I wish I would have just trusted and believed in God instead of taking it into my own hands – what a mess I’m in now”. When the Lord tells us something we need to be patient and give it all to Him. To trust Him no matter how things look – and absolutely believe Him.

He is on our side and His intention is not to tease us – it’s to teach us. Sometimes the “end result” doesn’t come when we want it to, but God Himself hasn’t left us – He’s still there teaching us things.

Maybe the answer hasn’t come to full manifestation because there are things we need to learn first. We are always to seek and believe God no matter how long it takes. To always remember that He knows better than us what is best for us and when we need it.

He doesn’t need our “hands” in there messing with His divine plans after –all He is God and were not.