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by Buzz Dahlen Have you ever had a situation that if you had only waited just a little longer, been a little more patient, things would have worked out the way you wanted them to, but because of your impatience, instead you got stuck with something that you didn’t really want? Of course you have had a situation like that, we all have. Had we just waited patiently for a little while longer, slowed down just a little bit, life would have been so, different. It happens to the best of people… The saddest part of all this is that not only do you end up some place you don’t want to be, you end up with something that makes life worse. A biblical example is Abram… After this, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward." But Abram said, "O Sovereign LORD, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?" And Abram said, "You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir." Then the word of the LORD came to him: "This man will not be your heir, but a son coming from your own body will be your heir." He took him outside and said, "Look up at the heavens and count the stars--if indeed you can count them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be." Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness. Genesis 15:1-6 God promised Abram and Sarai that they would have a child. Sarai was old and apparently confirmed to be barren, but Abram believed the Lord… But as time went by, Abram and Sarai began to get impatient. Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar; so she said to Abram, "The LORD has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family through her." Abram agreed to what Sarai said. So after Abram had been living in Canaan ten years, Sarai his wife took her Egyptian maidservant Hagar and gave her to her husband to be his wife. He slept with Hagar, and she conceived. When she knew she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress. Then Sarai said to Abram, "You are responsible for the wrong I am suffering. I put my servant in your arms, and now that she knows she is pregnant, she despises me. May the LORD judge between you and me." Genesis 16:1-5 This is a case of someone helping God fulfill His promise. “God is not coming through like He promised, so lets help Him. Well, God does not need our help… What ended up happening was as time went by Sarai treated Hagar badly so she attempted to run away. An angel found her. The angel of the LORD also said to her: "You are now with child and you will have a son. You shall name him Ishmael, for the LORD has heard of your misery. He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone's hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers." 16:11-12 Now as most of us know, God kept His promise in His time and Sarai gave birth to a son in her old age. They named him Isaac. What most people do not know is that Saddam Hussein is a direct descendant of Ishmael. Boy there is a mistake that compounded over time. If we are hasty in our decisions, if we say something before we get all the information, if we take action because of our impatience we will end up with an Ishmael. If we trust God, wait on Him patiently, we will see His promise fulfilled and produce an Isaac. I know we are in an instant, have it my way society, but there are great benefits to be enjoyed if you can be patient. God Promises to provide if we would just wait on Him. I close with the words from the prophet Isaiah: But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. Isaiah 40:31 |
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