Reading Plan: Genesis 21

I was outside one morning, a few months before Christmas, while it was still dark just looking up at all the stars in the sky. I was thinking about how massive the universe is and how amazing our God is in His role of Creator. That’s when a thought hit me: God is so perfect in His timing. He could have chosen to speak a bright star into existence for the wise men to follow, but instead, he chose to use the natural occurrence of His creation already spoken into existence. He knew EXACTLY when Mary should become pregnant with Jesus so that his birth would be set perfectly in the timeline when three planets would naturally align forming the brightest star in existence as a roadmap to our Savior. This thought reminded me that God is never too early and never too late, but absolutely perfect with the timing of His promises. Everything in our culture works against us becoming a people well equipped to wait on God’s perfect timing, so how do we wait well?

In Genesis 21, we see His perfect timing displayed in the lives of Abraham and Sarah. Twenty-five years had passed since the promise of God was given to Abraham that God would make him into a great nation. What we read about in the course of only seven chapters spanned a full 25 years of waiting, doubting, and questioning in the lives of this couple. Hopelessness, no doubt, fought for a place in their hearts while waiting in a situation where all odds were stacked against them. Can you relate? Sometimes it seems as if what we are praying for may never come to pass, and we find ourselves feeling hopeless, but stories like this remind us God has never forgotten His promises to us.

He is faithful. He has a plan.

If we aren’t careful, we will allow the enemy to give us faith in promises God never gave us and when they don’t happen, we will tend to think He isn’t good. So, what exactly does God promise us? Does He promise us all things will turn out the way we ask? No, but He does promise us in Romans 8:28 that he uses ALL things for good for those that love Him. In Matthew 11:28, He promises to give us rest; in Romans 8:38-39, He promises that nothing can separate us from His love; in Deuteronomy 20:4, He promises to fight for us; in James 1:5, He promises to give us wisdom; in 1 John 1:9, He promises to forgive us when we mess up; in John 8:36, He promises to set us free from the chains that bind us; and in Phil 4:19, He promises to provide all our needs. These are only a tiny few of the hundreds of promises God has given to us.

So, how do we wait well when our minds tend to doubt? We hold tight to the promises of God. We repeat them over and over until our doubts are gone. We remind ourselves daily of who God is and how perfect He is with his timing. We wait well by trusting in Him when we can’t find hope anymore. Know this, He is faithful to show up in His perfect timing and that is when we see the promise of Ephesians 3:20 come to life, “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen.”