Why do we wait on God

Why Do We Wait On God

“Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, ‘So shall your offspring be.’” Romans 4:18 (NIV)

My gaze flew to his engaging smile on the Christian dating site. His name was David, like King David, the man after God’s own heart. David swept me off my feet. He promised to fulfill all my hopes and dreams.

When he urged me to wire $2000 to resolve his financial troubles, my dreams of marriage shattered around me. Instead of an answer to my prayer, David was an imposter and a con artist.

I devoted years praying and waiting for a godly husband to share my life, to no avail. Doesn’t God promise to give us the desires of our hearts? Disbelief in God’s promises settled in my broken heart.

Wait on God to bring Him glory

Abraham and his wife Sarah were well acquainted with waiting. God instructed Abraham to leave home, go to an unknown land, and become the father of a great nation. God promised the childless Abraham a son and offspring as numerous as the stars in the sky. He and Sarah laughed. How could they have a child in their old age? (Sarah was 90 and Abraham was 100.)

Abraham and Sarah remained hopeful for twenty-five years until fulfillment of God’s promises. As Romans 4:18 reads, “Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, ‘So shall your offspring be.’”

God waited until the birth of a child was impossible without supernatural intervention. God did what only He can do to bring glory to Himself.

Waiting grows our faith

Even though Abraham and Sarah doubted, God fulfilled His promise when their son Isaac was born. Abraham’s grandson, Jacob became the patriarch of the twelve tribes of Israel. Jesus belonged to the tribe of Judah, fulfilling God’s promise of blessing for all peoples on the earth through Abraham.

God tested Abraham to show the growth of Abraham’s faith. God asked him to do the unthinkable—sacrifice his beloved son Isaac as a burnt offering. Abraham showed absolute faith in God by not withholding his only son. As Abraham raised his knife to kill Isaac, an angel of the Lord called out and provided a ram as a substitute for sacrifice.  

God’s provision of the ram as an alternate sacrifice for Isaac foreshadows the gift of God’s son as a substitute sacrifice for us. God sent His Son Jesus to earth to pay the price for our sin and restore our relationship with Him.

Perhaps you hope for an answer to prayer like me. Let’s choose to wait on God the way Abraham and Sarah did. Waiting on God’s plan for us will grow our faith and glorify Him. Then we will rejoice in our greatest hope worth waiting for—eternal life with Jesus!

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Jennifer Nichols

Thank you for this devotional.

Thomas Bobalek

Good lesson on waiting. I also liked the verse translation. Abraham believed and it was credited to him as righteousness.

Pam Smith

Beautiful lesson on waiting! Patience is a gift of God, as is faith and hope. I am so thankful for all His gifts, including you! Praying you win the contest!

Jeanette Mickle

Thank you for your post. I wanted my timing for a Christian husband not God’s timing. I eventually learned that God had to be 1st in my life. I had peace once I surrendered my will. After waiting God blessed me with a Christian husband. God’s timing is perfect!!

Jeanette Dunlop

Thanks Susan. For the reminder that our God is a God of hope and we can be assured his timing is always good and he is teaching us so much along the way.

Kim Brady

This past week, I was hoping more than anything that God would heal my friend David. He was healed, but, not on this earth. He was healed as he went to heaven. I could be angry. But as sad as I am, I have to be happy that David is with his mom & dad & more importantly, his heavenly father. I am thankful & still have hope.

Deb Gorman

Beautiful story & application!

Carly Spence

Great thoughts on waiting! I think it’s one of the hardest things God asks us to do. We just want something to happen now! But that’s so rarely the case.

I hope your devotional gets chosen! 🙂

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