Have you ever had a promise from God that was so long in coming you thought it might never get here? You start thinking that either you heard Him wrong in the first place or you took a wrong turn somewhere along the way and missed God altogether. In attempt to cover all the bases, you even begin to wonder if there’s some hideous, unknown sin in your life that’s stopping God from blessing you.
I know that feeling all too well. So did Sarah and Abraham, who waited so long for God’s promise that they figured it was because they needed to do something in order for it to happen. Well didn’t that thought get them into a mess of trouble? They ended up with Ishmael only to find out God’s promise was still forthcoming and it was simply a matter of timing.
It’s easy to get discouraged when you’re in a situation like this. Of course, if we knew God’s timing, we’d be in a better position to plan and prepare, but I guess that’s the point. God expects us to plan and prepare, regardless of whether or not we know the time and season He will bring the fulfillment of His promise. Otherwise, it wouldn’t require faith and we wouldn’t grow during that season of waiting.
Joseph knew all too well that even when things looked like they were going to happen, they didn’t. He learned the hard way that man couldn’t make it happen. But just when he least expected it, it seemed God moved in a miraculous way.
I have found in my own life that many times, God moves after I have reached the end of my faith. I can think of a couple of times where I actually gave up and admitted that a certain thing was not going to happen only to find within a day or so that God indeed moved in my situation and made it happen. There’s a reason for that. Our faith grows when stretched beyond its capacity. My faith grew when that happened and rather than beating myself up for losing faith at the last moment, I appreciated knowing where my faith ended and God’s grace bridged the gap.
Whether you’ve been waiting for a day or many years for God’s promise to be fulfilled in your life, know that He is working that out for you. Keep yourself encouraged in the Word, hang out with people who’ve walked with Him and have seen Him do great things in their lives and do your best in His strength to hold on to what you believe in your heart He has told you.
Here’s a short video I did on this topic.