The Wait

(This devotional was featured on Real Teen Faith earlier this week, but I thought I'd post it on Sparks of Illumination in case you didn't catch it on the other site. Hope you enjoy it! - C.)

Abram had a promise from God. He knew that the Lord would give him a son, despite his old age. He was familiar with the promises of God. He was only a few generations from the time of Noah and the flood, where God had showed just how fully he kept his promises to his people.

But Abram didn’t wait on the Lord. Though the child of promise was to come through his wife, Sarai, he chose instead to have a child through his concubine, Hagar.

Disaster ensued. Sarai banished Hagar and her son Ishmael to the desert twice, and once the child of promise, Isaac, was born, the clash only intensified. The nation descended from Isaac, the Jews, and the nation descended from Ishmael, the Arabs, are in conflict to this day.

What made Abram waver? Why did he settle for less than perfection, when he had the promise of goodness before him?

Abram had the same problem that people are still struggling with to this day. He was impatient for God’s blessing, and so he diminished the blessing coming to him by disobeying God and not waiting on His perfect timing.

A study was conducted among a group of preschoolers. Adults would put a child in a room with one cookie and tell the child that if they could wait a certain amount of time without eating the cookie, they could have two later. Then they went out of the room and watched the children. Almost every child ate the one cookie then, instead of waiting for the two.

They wanted immediate gratification. They wanted to have the good thing then, even though if they just waited a little longer, they would get more.

Everyone longs to feel God’s blessing in their lives. They cry out for him to relieve their suffering and bless them in a certain area of their life. This may be finance, time, housing, friends, school.

For me, this area was in specific activities. I wanted so badly to be involved in a program that my friends were involved in, I pushed God. I told him the area I wanted to be involved in was a good program, that it was a safe environment, that it was a place where I could further his kingdom. I said that I would enjoy it, be good at it, help people through it. Then I asked God why he wasn’t letting me be a part of it. If it was a good thing to do, and a good thing for me to do, it didn’t make sense to me why I shouldn’t do it.

God’s answer: Wait. You’re not ready yet.

So I waited. But not patiently. I still read up on everything that had to do even remotely with the program I wanted to be in, and begged God to let me join. The answer didn’t change.

Wait. You’re not ready yet.

Finally, I was reading my Bible and I felt God impress upon me that my life was His anyway. I was just clay in his hands, and he could do whatever he wanted with me. I didn’t need to worry about what God wanted for me, because he knew what was best for me, and that I should settle for nothing less.

I gave myself back to him. I told him that I was okay if he never had it in his plan for me to do all the things I’d always hoped I’d do. I told him I wanted to do what he wanted for me, whether or not I agreed with him at the time.

A week later, my mom approached me about joining the group I had wanted to all along.

I’m the first to admit it’s hard to wait. But if we wait on God and acknowledge that He, no matter what, is our best, we will be rewarded.

God has a plan for your life. And he ultimately rewards patience and surrender, if only we wait.

(P.S. Did you notice my new profile name? I changed from Sister Warrior to Echoes in Ink. Sister Warrior didn't really fit anymore, and Echoes in Ink fits both areas of my passion for communication, writing and speaking. Maybe I'll write a post on Echoes in Ink later. Maybe not. You never know. Sparks of illumination, C.)