The Lord revealed His plan to make Abraham’s family into a great nation when Abraham was seventy-five years old (Genesis 12). This plan must have come as a great shock to Abraham because his wife Sarah had been barren. We can assume these two spent decades of their life together mourning the dream of children who were never born. After this proclamation from the Lord, we watch as Abraham responds with obedience and leaves his homeland. But we also journey with this couple through moments of doubt.
As ten years come and go, Sarah and Abraham grow impatient waiting upon the Lord. They try to manage and control their future when Abraham takes their maid-servant as his wife, and she gives birth to a son. Abraham then tries to bring that son, Ishmael, into the blessing of the Lord (Genesis 16 and 17). Even though the Lord reiterates His promise to bless Sarah with a child, she laughs aloud at the prospect of holding her very own son within a year (Genesis 18).
Though these chapters read quickly, I can only imagine how slowly the years must have passed for Abraham and Sarah. Yet God continued to use their imperfect responses to bring about His perfect will. When Abraham was one-hundred years old and Sarah ninety-years old, they welcomed their son Isaac into the world. The long-awaited promise is fulfilled while the story of God’s covenant is just beginning to unfold.
Many of us are waiting on the Lord. We are waiting for healing, for comfort, for relief, for strength. The list goes on and on. My prayer is that as we sit in our waiting, we remember that our Heavenly Father knows the end result. Our Heavenly Father sees the road ahead with full clarity and presses on, even when we stumble along the path.