Patience has been the theme of my life recently. God continues to speak this into my life through scripture, people, and circumstances. I have to be totally honest here and lay it on the line. One of the main reasons I haven't posted anything lately is because I wanted to wait until A.T. got a job which I thought would have happened already. I wanted to give a praise report and show people how God will show up in our time of need. I wanted it to be a perfect example to show others how obedience pays off. However, A.T. is currently still looking for a job. I seriously know and believe with all my heart he will find something. God has me "living" my words right now instead of just "speaking" them. It's easy to tell others how they should act in a situation, but it's a totally different thing when you are going through it. I want to be clear that God is a good God and loves his children. Timing is more important than time. Many of you are waiting on God to answer a prayer. Please know that God is listening and is working on your behalf even if it doesn't seem like it. It's all about God's timing.
My professor used an example in class yesterday that really applies to patiently waiting. Many of you know the story about Abraham and Sarah but I want to give a summary for those of you that don't. In Genesis, God promised Abraham that he would be blessed with numerous descendants that would fill the land. At this point Abraham was 75 years old. His wife Sarah was excited, but became impatient after years and years of waiting. Instead of waiting on God, Sarah decided to send her servant Hagar to have a child with Abraham. This act led to a child named Ishmael. I know a lot of you are saying "Oh no she didn't!" You have to remember she was desperate for a child. She also knew God had promised her children, so she felt it was her duty to help God. That was a big mistake! God would not bless Ishmael because he was not conceived the way God explained it would happen. Even though Abraham and Sarah were impatient and took matters into their own hands, there is a happy ending to the story.... God fulfilled his promise to Abraham by allowing Sarah to conceive a child named Isaac 24 years after that initial promise. This goes to show that God does not back out on his promises. If He says it will happen you better believe it will. I tell this story to pose some questions. How many of us have an Ishmael instead of an Isaac? How many of us decided to take matters into our own hands instead of patiently waiting on God? God has promised each of us something amazing but we are too impatient to wait and see it fulfilled. Why do we always think our way is best? God can do exceedingly and abundantly above and beyond anything we can ask or think! I know it's hard to wait on the promise of God but look at what He did for Sarah. He brought her Isaac, her own son, 24 years after the promise. It may take time but it's so worth it to wait on God.
The main point I pray is evident in this post is that every "good" thing is not a "God" thing. To Sarah, Ishmael was a "good" thing, but the "God" thing was Isaac. We end up making a mess of our lives when we settle for the "good" things. I'm believing God for the "God" things in my life! I urge you to do the same!
In Christ,
Alissa
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