Genesis 17:21 (ESV) — But I will establish my covenant with Isaac, whom
Sarah shall bear to you at this time next year.”
NOTE: Abraham now
has a date, well, at least a time-frame--"this time next year." So,
does having a time-frame make faith easier? I'm not sure. I guess a time-frame is
much better than an indefinite "it will happen." But time-frames have their
own problems. They become too much the focus of our life to the point where we
wish so much for the day to come that we stop enjoying the days we have now. I
like to phrase it - "we wish part of our life away." Each day is a
day that will never come again. Children are older, things are different. Every
day changes everything. There are times, especially in great pain, where we
might wish days of pain to pass quickly -- that is, it is worth it to get out
from under whatever hangs over us. But, in general, waiting for a date to come
has its own challenges. God gives him a whole year to wait. That is hard. Can
we trust God and wait? Or do we try to speed things up? New challenges and new
ways to trust God. Abraham was 99 and Sarah was 90. I'm sure for the next 4 to
6 months, they wondered if anything was really going to happen. Their faith was
challenged even with a promise and a time-frame. Life is one long series of
faith challenges. It is not blind faith or even faith without any intellectual
basis, as Atheists might argue. Everyone lives by faith in something, if they
are intelligent enough to admit it.
PRAYER: Father,
strengthen my faith. Help me to enjoy each day that you give me. Protect me
from getting ahead of you. Help me to relax in you -- "my lines have
fallen in pleasant places (Psalm)."
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