Genesis 21:1-2
God isn’t in a hurry, so He didn’t have a problem waiting a quarter century before fulfilling His promise and allowing Abraham and Sarah to conceive. Who knows why He waited that long? It was His call; His timing is perfect. Personally, I believe Abraham would not have been ready any earlier. Abraham needed spiritual maturity, so the Lord waited.
We view all events from the limited perspective of time. It’s like trying to drive a car while looking through a straw. We’re down here at street level, and our vision barely takes in the landscape. God, however, isn’t constrained by time or human perspective. He views events on earth from above, taking in the whole panorama of time from Genesis 1:1 to the end of things, and He sees all events at once. While we hurry because we might be late for something, the Lord doesn’t need to rush, because He maintains complete control over time. He has prearranged the unfolding of His plans down to less than a nanosecond.
For us, within the flow of time, waiting often feels like an eternity. When I’m with people I don’t know well, I sometimes ask, “Are you waiting for anything?” Invariably, they have an answer. Everybody I know is waiting for something. Waiting for relief. Waiting for an answer to prayer. Waiting for a dream to be fulfilled. The people who have grown deep in their relationship with God have learned to wait with anticipation instead of worry. They know that God keeps His promises, so they don’t fret over whether the fulfilment will come but only when it will take place.
REFLECT
What are you waiting for right now? What does it mean to you that God is always on time?
This is what the LORD says: “At just the right time, I will respond to you. On the day of salvation I will help you.” —Isaiah 49:8
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Excerpted from Charles R. Swindoll, Faith for the Journey: Daily Meditations on Courageous Trust in God (Tyndale House Publishers, 2014). Copyright © 2014 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.