What if the Wait is the Point?
"Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful." Hebrews 10:23
10/11/20262 min read
We live in a culture that expects everything right now. We can stream a movie in seconds, order groceries from our phones and get answers to just about any question we can think of almost instantly. Admit it, when you have to wait more than three seconds it feels like a glitch in the system.
That’s why Abraham’s story is so amazing. He was already 75 years old when God promised him a son. But then he had to wait. And wait. And wait. Not for 25 days. Not even for 25 months. Abraham waited for 25 years!
Think about all that can happen in 25 years. Careers begin and end. Children are born and become adults. Technology changes. Entire seasons of life come and go. And in year 1 you’re excited. Expectant. Confident. By year 10 the doubt slowly begins to creep in. In year 20? Forget it. The only thing you’re confident about now is that you must have heard God wrong. And that's when compromise begins. We start forcing doors that God hasn't opened, we settle for less than God's best because we're tired of waiting and we convince ourselves that partial obedience is close enough.
But it was year 25, when Abraham was 100, Sarah was 90 and humanly speaking, the opportunity had passed, that God fulfilled His promise.
Why? Because God wanted everyone to know the miracle came from Him, not from human effort.
The truth is, many of us are uncomfortable with waiting because we think God is doing nothing. But what if the waiting is where God is doing some of His deepest work? In the waiting, God exposes our idols. He reveals where we place our security. He teaches us that His presence is more valuable than the thing we're asking for. He develops patience, humility, endurance, and dependence. The waiting season is where God prepares us for what the answered prayer will require.
Abraham's story reminds us that God's promises are not measured by our calendar. And, beloved, maybe that's the lesson.
God spent 25 years preparing Abraham for a promise that could only be explained by God's faithfulness. When Isaac finally arrived, nobody could say Abraham made it happen and the wait itself became part of the testimony!