It was almost bedtime and normally I like to read a story to my children from the bible before they sleep.
This night, it was a story about Jacob and Esau. As I read I came across a line that said "Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebbecca". I thought to myself, "That is rather late...". I figured, a man from Isaac linage did not have to wait till forty before he got married. I mean when was he going to start having children? Then again, I thought, 40 for a man is not that old, especially in Bible days when people lived to be well over a 100 years old.
As I continued reading it siad, "Isaac prayed to God for His wife for she could not have children". Hmmmm, isn't this the same problem his dad had? When Sarah could not conceive? It's brow raising when sometimes a particular problem remains in a family.... It's almost like everyone in that family has to partake of it .
Anyway, back to the story.
"And Isaac was 60 years old when he had his twins " Wooo....! Alright stop! 20years....! It took 20years for one prayer to be answered? One that probably had the couple staying up at night. Children are a very intricate part of a family unit. Didn't God see how important this was to the couple? To any couple who wants children?
I couldn't help but think, if this had happened to me, if I were in their shoes I would have died! Okay not literally, but gosh, coming from an African heritage the pressure would have been something for the movies. Honestly 20years...! I might even have said, "Lord, why are you doing this to me"? Cried a lot and prayed even more. In fact, I would have declared a solemn fast every other day. Needless to say I would have been miserable! You might be saying, "Woman, where is your faith"? But I would have felt maybe I was doing something wrong! Or maybe there was some "sin" in my life. Didn't the scripture say, "Ask and you shall receive" Luke 11:9 and "Nothing shall be impossible to them that believe"? Mathew 17:20.
Then it occurred to me, in this microwave era where every body wants things done in less time and with sheer convenience; that God still works with His own timing. We seem to have this preconceived notion that God should work with our time. There is a time frame in our minds that we have set in line with our hearts desires and we expect God to play catch up! When this doesn't happen, we often find ourselves wondering why some of our prayer seem unanswered and we try to put forth every conceivable explanation other than " it is not yet time". Our human understanding cannot fathom how God sees time. The bible says ".....one day with the lord is like a thousand years and a thousand years like one day" 2peter 3:8
God has not changed! If He worked divinely regarding time in the past, He still does today.
What is it that you have been praying and believing God for? And every human understanding indicates that the answers has to come right now or should have come a long time ago. Has it been been more than 20years? 20years or simply feels like it. Don't give up. No matter how long it takes. If He said it, He will do it! We may not fully understand God's timing , but we can rest, assured that His timing is always right.
We exist for Him. He does not exist for us; He is the Controller of our days, the Architect of our lives, the Master builder, He knows when to fit things in according to His plan for our lives and He makes all things beautiful in His time. He gave us life and He has a purpose for it. He works out everything that concerns us according to that purpose. He is not a God that wants to see us suffer and miserable. His thought towards us are that of good and not evil to bring us to an expected end. (Jer 29:11) The outcome (expected end), if you will hold, on is good. He has written the script and He knows how the story ends....YOU WIN!
There is a lot to be learnt from Isaac's story, Isaac was a man of faith like His father Abraham but unlike His father while he prayed and waited he did not make the mistake of trying to help God out in solving his problem. Probably he heard while growing up of the problems that single act caused in his father' s household. I mean, it was so bad that a virtuous woman like Sarah had to send Hagar packing! But the story didn't end there... well that's a topic for another day.
Sometimes in life we try to help God out. This only brings us unnecessary heart aches and one prayer point is multiplied to many more.
Take for instance a woman that has asked God for a husband, she prays for a man that would love her as Christ loves the Church, a man after God's own heart. She starts out well; believing God all this years, now she is in her late 30's and her biological clock is ticking! All her friends around her are married and they look at her funny, actually, they do not want to associate with her anymore. The pressure is on. So she helps God out by accepting the next person that comes her way proclaiming love but treats her like crap and will not go to church even if he was paid to. That does not deter her, she is on a mission. She will change him as soon an they get married. Since the dream-man (desired husband) has not showed up, she is going to help God by making a desired husband out of "lover boy". We all know how that story goes; seen it too often in the church. After the wedding she will not be able to change him, the prayer points has just multiplied and the heart aches moves to a whole new level.
Like I said earlier we may not always understand God's timing of things, but let us take a cue from this story about Isaac's unwavering faith and listen to the voice of wisdom saying;
Wait...
Wait...
Let God do things in His time
Don't be dismayed and do not fret
Your life will be better for it yet
And in life's journey you'll find rest
Just wait
Everything will work out in time
God's timing is perfect, rooted in love, He knows what's best.
And He can only give you the very best
If only you wait, you will find
That is what He doing
When He does things in His time.
Posts
Rule 1 excerpts from 12 Rules for Life
6 days ago
