Just sitting here, waiting. Not sure all it is that I am waiting for, I just know I am waiting. For what? A ticket out of here. An end of a season. An invitation home. It could be any one of these things, or something entirely different. Whether we like it or not, we are all waiting for something. We spend our lives in anticipation, expecting any day now that something will change. Sometimes as we wait, we get impatient. We try to rush things along, even when it is not in our power to do something. This same attitude happened on several occasions throughout scripture. The golden calf, the army of saul going to battle without a go, the birth of a nation that never should have existed in the first place. This nation I am referring to is that of Ishmael found in Genesis 16. In chapters before, God had promised Abraham that through his seed, a great nation, more measureable than the stars in heaven, would arise. Abraham's wife Sarah was well advanced in years, and when up to this point, she was unable to bear children for Abraham. So she gets her servant Hagar, and tells her husband to sleep with her so that her heir would come from her servant. But this was not how God said the nation would come. He point blank said that through Abraham and Sarah, not Hagar, his nation would come. But in the eyes of Sarah, God was taking too long. So as a result, Hagar gives birth to Ishmael. Immediately after, Sarah feels judged by Hagar. Now the bible doesn't not give us Hagar side of the story here, but through Sarah's perception, she feels that now that Hagar has a kid, she is looking down on her. So she tells Abraham to put her out, and send her away, her and her baby. Ishmael's line is where most, if not all, the religions that oppose God have come out of. From that point until the end of time, Christians now are in a constant war with nations like Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, just to name a few. Imagine what our world would be like if Sarah had waited patiently on God's promise. How many countless lives would have been saved if these nations had not been able to rise up. This should be an important lesson for all of us. When God says he is going to do something, He will. We may never know how or even when, but as long as we do not try and do things on our own, God's plan will always be the best thing for us. Abraham and Sarah had to wait well over a decade before Isaac was born to them. We don't know why their wait was so long, but we do know that even though Isaac's seed has fallen short, they are still God's chosen. His plan, his people. Not our plan, our people. The world is in turmoil, all because we just could not wait another second. Let us not be so quick to be impatient and work things out in our own way, that we miss what God is doing in the times of waiting. God is preparing each and every one of us through the waiting period to get us ready for when that thing finally comes. With every minute we have to wait, God is ensuring that we trust him to take care of the details. Even when earthly time is seemingly running out and deadlines are closing in, God's timing is never late. It arrives precisely when it intends to. Right when we need it the most. God knows what he is doing. Wait on him to carry out his plan that he has already set in motion for your life.
Adam Semple- A young man on a mission from God
*photo credit- Gandalf- Lord of the Rings
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