Abraham: The Long Wait

Romans 4:20-21 (GNBUK)

His faith did not leave him, and he did not doubt God's promise; his faith filled him with power, and he gave praise to God. He was absolutely sure that God would be able to do what he had promised.

As a litigation lawyer, I usually advise people who have fallen out. It may be over a contract or a discussion, but if we are going to Court, the first question I am usually asked is: ‘How long will it be until we go to trial, until a Judge will decide?’ Unfortunately, it can be 18 months or more before they will get a decision. Court proceedings aren’t for the faint-hearted, and a client will need to be pretty confident they are right to choose to wait that long before they see justice delivered. The next question I am usually asked repeatedly is: ‘Can we make it go any quicker?’

Now imagine being Abraham and waiting on the promise that was given about being a father to a great nation - and then waiting 25 years for that promise to be delivered. 

Our Scripture today, from Paul's letter to the Romans, says that Abraham used this time to give praise to God as he was absolutely sure of the promise given to him. It doesn’t say, 'Abraham praised God but regularly checked in on the progress of that promise' or that 'Abraham praised God but asked if there was anything he could do to speed things up'! 

In our moments of ‘in between’, when we are holding on to the many promises of God in the Bible, or believing for a specific promise for our lives, I wonder how often we wish to speed up God’s timing or question God? The lesson from Abraham’s 'in between' is to accept God's timing and to praise God always and continually, never doubting however long the wait. 

Prayer - Father God, when our 'in-between' is long and waiting feels endless, may our faith be absolute, and we praise you endlessly because you are a faithful God.