Is it only in times of success that we are hearing the Lord correctly? Why does unbelief and double-mindedness set in when we are waiting? Do we believe God only when we have the strength to accomplish the task in our own might otherwise we doubt that it was God? Abraham and Sarah found themselves in this predicament after a long waiting season, and God spoke to them and said, “Is anything too hard for the Lord?”
At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.” Gen. 18:14
This might sound like a rhetorical question, but if we are truly honest with ourselves, we have likely wondered the same thing. When we have waited and prayed for so long without any indication that the change is on the way, and we find ourselves still praying the same prayer we prayed years ago as we reflect on our journal, we wonder, ‘Is this too hard for the Lord?’
Obviously, the truth is, nothing is too difficult for our God. All things are possible with Him.
Sarah had waited twenty-four years. The faith she once had in conceiving a child went through various phases. There was a time that she didn’t question God and just believed what He said. Then after waiting for twelve or thirteen years, she started wondering if she heard the Lord right.
The Lord had made the promise to Abraham and not to Sarah. She could have been wondering, maybe she wasn’t going to be the one to bear this child. This is when she suggested to Abraham to sleep with her concubine, so Abraham can have a child. This was the norm in that period of time and culture. If a wealthy barren woman could not bear children, she could take the child that her concubine produced to be her own.
Sarah must have justified her decision by looking at herself and finding her body as good as dead. In her own limited, human reasoning, she must have thought there must be another way the Lord wants to bring this about. Did the Lord ever ask for her assistance because He couldn’t deliver on the promise!? Did she think it’s time to redefine the promise since it’s not coming to pass in her timetable?
Why do we question the character of God and the Word of God? Doesn’t the scripture tell us that “God is not a man that He should lie”? Numbers 23:19
Why would He want to lie anyway? What need would He have to lie? Man lies for self-preservation or selfish gain. The Lord has no need to preserve Himself, and there is nothing He can gain from us. He is the one who is continually giving and blessing us. The best we can do is worship Him with fear and trembling. He owns the cattle on a thousand hills. He is the giver. Therefore, when God makes a promise and establishes a covenant, we must believe that what He says stands.
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