SUNDAY February 26, 2023

God’s Perfect Timing

Then God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. And I will bless her and also give you a son by her; then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples shall be from her.”
Genesis 17:15-16

Remember, God promised Abraham a child. After waiting a long time, Sarah his wife became impatient. Instead of waiting on God’s perfect timing, she persuaded her husband to take her maid Hagar and have a child through her. He should not have listened to his wife at this particular time. They paid the consequences of their actions––it brought strife and sorrow to the family (Genesis 16).

Hagar became pregnant, and Ishmael was born. He was not the promised child. Through his birth, the Arab nations came into existence. They always strove with Israel. Even today, many Arab nations have remained Israel’s enemies, all because Abraham and Sarah tried to help God out.

God promised Abraham a child through Sarah, even though she was past the age of childbearing. When the Lord confirmed the promise to Abraham again, Sarah overheard and, in the doorway of their tent, laughed to herself. She was so old! Yet a year later, Sarah had the baby God had promised––Isaac (Genesis 17:21). Sarah named him Isaac which means “laughter,” because of the time she had laughed in the tent.

Although Sarah laughed at the possibility of having a child, interestingly it is recorded in Hebrews 11:11-12:

By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised. Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born as many as the stars of the sky in multitude—innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore.

May we learn to wait on the promises of God for His divine, perfect timing. He has a set-time for everything––have faith to believe.

When we surrender to His timing, He does mighty things in and for us, according to His will and His timing. God acts on behalf of those who wait for Him.
~Charles F. Stanley~

For more from Raul Ries, please visit SomebodyLovesYou.com!