Waiting for God

Waiting for God is a lot harder than it sounds. I'm reminded of Abraham and Sarah and Rebekah and Isaac. With Abraham and Sarah, God had promised that Abraham would be the father of many nations and that none but his own issue would be his heir. Yet Abraham had to wait till he was 100 before he became a father. In the meantime, his wife Sarah told him to have a son with her handmaid, Hagar. Look how that situation turned out.

And with Isaac and Rebekah, God had told Rebekah that two nations were in her womb and the older would serve the younger. Rebekah knew that Jacob had to get the blessing instead of Esau but she never discussed it with her husband and instead had Jacob lie to his father to get the blessing. I don't know if Rebekah ever saw her twin sons again after Jacob had to flee to Laban's house.

Throughout the Bible, people took matters into their own hands, despite the promises of God. We can sit here a few thousand years removed and say, "well, of course they should have just trusted in God and waited." Could you? Could I? I don't know. I'd like to think that I could, but I tell you, waiting for God is hard stuff. What else can we do but pray and ask for wisdom and patience.