Sarah: When God takes his time

 Sarah: mother of a nation

         God kept her waiting until it seemed impossible...

 

I glanced in my rear vision mirror as I drove at the speed limit down the highway. The guy on my tail was so close I couldn’t see his number plate. The right lane cleared, and he sped past me, maneuvering to the front of the queue. I drew up at the next traffic lights, and there he was, drumming the steering wheel with his fingers. Was he running late, or was his entire life spent in the fast lane, never enjoying a moment’s peace?

 

 What can’t you wait for? A better home? To finish your studies? To recover from illness? Or significantly, a partner or a baby?

 

   The centuries haven’t changed our yearning for precious little people. Abraham and Sarah were childless at seventy-five and sixty-five, expecting a lonely retirement. Instead, God sent these gray nomads from Haran on an epic journey into the unknown. They arrived in Shechem, where Abram encountered God, who promised to give him land stretching as far as the horizon.

 

   I can’t help thinking Sarai must have wondered about Abram’s quest.

 

“Where are we going, Abram?”

“I’m not sure, but we must trust God because he’s promised a new land where he’ll bless us with many children.”

“Really? Why would God bless us now? Is this why you’re sacrificing these animals to the Almighty?”

 “Yes. God has promised me our descendants will become a great nation, and we must thank him for these blessings.”

 

  Sarai trusted Abram as they journeyed down to Egypt and came back to Bethel, where they parted company with Lot, his nephew, and settled at the Oaks of Mamre. Sarai waited for her baby, but the months and years grew into decades, leaving Abram to conclude Eliezer would inherit his extensive flocks and herds.

 

 God sent him outside his tent to gaze at the clear night sky.

 

“Count the stars, Abram, because they represent your descendants.”

 

As Abram slept that night, God described the perils and adventures of his descendants and the vast expanse of their future country. The dream reinforced his faith in God’s promise. They would be parents.

 

                      How long can a person wait and remain strong in their faith?

Did Sarai wonder if Abram’s trust in God was misplaced? Her faith had worn thin. Whatever the reason, she decided God needed a helping hand, and she chose Hagar, her handmaiden, to give Abram a son.

 

 Ishmael’s birth has resulted in centuries of conflict. There’s a lesson for us. Patience is a hard-won virtue, but God’s patient answer outshines our impatient reaction.

 

  Twenty-five years had elapsed since God’s first promise. As Abraham sat outside of his tent in the boiling heat, three visitors arrived. He ran to greet them, leading them to a cool oasis under the trees where he could entertain them.

 

“Sarah, bake fresh bread for our visitors. The servant will prepare a plump calf and we’ll have a feast in their honor.”

 

Have you ever heard of entertaining angels unawares? The Lord visited them because the time was ripe for Abraham’s and Sarah’s son to be conceived.

 

Sarah’s faith had vanished. A ninety-year-old mother and a one hundred-year-old father - unheard of! She laughed.

 

Isn’t the Lord’s response thrilling?

“Is anything too hard for the Lord? I’ll be back next year, and Sarah will hold her baby in her arms.”

God renewed their hope beyond imagination, and delivered a land, a nation through Isaac, Jacob, and twelve tribes until Jesus, God’s greater Son and our Savior.

 

How do you react to waiting in a queue? Or praying for pain relief or agonizing over an impossible circumstance? Has God forgotten? Are you facing an irreparable disaster?

 

 God reassured Abraham at the outset of his journey and supported his flagging faith over a twenty-five years. Sarah learned to trust God through her husband’s close friendship with the Lord.

 

 God has a long-term plans for our future. And they’re worth the wait!

Prayer is the vital connection with our Lord because his purpose becomes clear as we wait in prayer. The Lord’s greatest victories result from our impossibilities!

 

 But those who wait upon God will renew their strength. They spread their wings and soar like eagles. They run and don’t grow tired. They walk and don’t faint. Isaiah 40:31.

 

Next time I concede defeat or lose faith, I’ll remind myself of this verse because waiting teaches us to trust God and to strengthen our faith.