TIME: friend or foe?

“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”. Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness. 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." "Your servant is in your hands," Abram said. "Do with her whatever you think best." Then Sarai ill-treated Hagar; so she fled from her. Gen 15:3-6; 16:1-6

Watching the film about Abraham's life and how Ishmael was born made me reflect on how many "Ishmaels" I have had in my life... How many Ishmael's have I given birth to while waiting on God? How many times have I made a decision to get God's promises at MY right time? How many times have I tried to step forward into a battle ill-equipped? and how many times have I trusted more in people and/or circumstances than in the Lord's faithfulness?

Sad, when you think that you could have done it better.
Encouraging, when you realize how much you have learnt from it and also can help others. Challenging, when before you there is a future to be built and it only depends on you and your relationship with God.

In some cases "time" is a great healer, in others it is the worst enemy our faith can fight against. It is part of our nature to be impatient and we have the common habit of trying to fulfil God's vision by our own methods.

Why is it that time seems to fly when we are on holiday but when we are trapped in a traffic jam already late to catch a flight then minutes give the impression of being hours?

A day still has 24 hours and an hour, 60 minutes. Time does not change, we do.

We can both wait for the Lord's promises and, in the meantime, prepare ourselves to receive them. What kind of father gives a car to his son knowing that he needs driving lessons first?

By no means waiting on the Lord is an easy matter, on the contrary, it is:

- A test of love:
“Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life” Jude 21.

- A test of faith; a period where beliefs are strengthened or weakened.
“For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently” Rom8:24-25

- A test of patience; practicing the fruits of the Spirit
“Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains” James 5:7.

- A test of wisdom; expecting to take the right steps at the right time.
“Yes, LORD, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you; your name and renown are the desire of our hearts” Isa 26:8.

- A test of courage; risking what we see to obtain what we have not see.
“Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes”. Ps 37:7
“Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD” Ps 27:14


”Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!” Isa 30:18

God bless you.