Scripture:

“Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. She had a female Egyptian servant whose name was Hagar. And Sarai said to Abram, ‘Behold now, the Lord has prevented me from bearing children. Go in to my servant; it may be that I shall obtain children by her.’ And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai. So, after Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her servant, and gave her to Abram her husband as a wife. And he went in to Hagar, and she conceived. And when she saw that she had conceived, she looked with contempt on her mistress. And Sarai said to Abram, ‘May the wrong done to me be on you! I gave my servant to your embrace, and when she saw that she had conceived, she looked on me with contempt. May the Lord judge between you and me!’  But Abram said to Sarai, ‘Behold, your servant is in your power; do to her as you please.’ Then Sarai dealt harshly with her, and she fled from her.” Genesis 16:1-6 (ESV)

 

Perspective:

The Lord came to Abram, later known as Abraham, and gave him a promise that he would be the father of many nations. Within that covenant, there was so much hope that the fulfillment of the promise would be soon in its coming. Yet, as time passed and Sarai, his wife, was not able to conceive a child, the passing of time planted doubt in her heart. It began to change her perspective. Was the fulfillment of God’s promise really possible? As Sarai began to feel like she was running out of time, she made a significant decision that impacted generations to come. Instead of trusting in God’s promise, she made the promise her problem and sought to remedy it. She took her servant, Hagar, and decided that Hagar would have a son who would be the family heir. Her inability to see and accept God’s timeframe for the fulfillment of the promise made her to believe that the promise was void. Not only did this decision negatively impact her family relationships, her solution didn’t create the fulfillment of the promise that she was seeking. Later in Genesis, Sarai, whom God changed her name to Sarah, did conceive a child; it just didn’t happen in the timeframe in which she was expecting. Sarah wasn’t running out of time; God was simply setting the stage to fulfill His Word at the right time.

 

God’s promises usually do not come with an attached timeline. We receive a promise from God, and we can think that it will happen soon. While sometimes the fulfillment is immediate, more often than not, the waiting period can test our patience and faith. In waiting for the fulfillment of God’s Word, we can let the passing of time cause us to take God’s promise and make it our problem for which we will provide a solution. However, the challenge is that our ingenuity on our best day fails in comparison to God’s masterful orchestration of our lives. If God promised it, then the fulfillment of that promise is dependent on Him. Interestingly, God’s promise to Abraham and Sarah was still fulfilled despite Sarah taking the situation into her own hands. The fulfillment of the promise came in a different season than they were expecting, but the miracle in the promise was more fully realized, as their age made the situation seem impossible. God is able to fulfill His Word in your life. If you are waiting for the right person, job, ministry, or reconciliation of your family, God is able, but He is not rushed. His timeline may  be different than what you are praying. If it seems slow in coming to fruition, don’t allow the passing of time to cause you to make the promise your problem and try to provide a solution that would be less than God’s best for you. Keep praying and trusting God. If God promised it, allow Him to fulfill it, no matter how long it takes.

 

Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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About Hona Amer

I help people live life to the fullest. Check out my book, Smart Work U. Follow me on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram. In order to receive updates, subscribe below.

 

 

 

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