“Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian slave named Hagar; so she said to Abram, “The Lord has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my slave; 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 slave 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 slave 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
If you may recall, my connection with Haiti began when I was in Seward High School and wrote a term paper on that country. Looking back, at that point in time, people in Haiti had been waiting for a ‘good’ government for quite some time. Today, those still living in Haiti are still waiting. Those of us living here in the U.S. who are Trinity HOPE donors and support a Christian school filled with hungry children are waiting for the current gang related chaos to end. People throughout history, God’s people too, have had to wait.
Look back at the above verses from Genesis and recall a classic time of waiting…and trying to speed up the process. By the time Hagar had given birth to Ishmael, Abram had turned eighty-six. He and Sarai had to wait another fourteen years until the birth of Isaac, the true son of Abram's covenant with God. Abram and Sarai tried to rush God, attempting to get the Lord on their timetable, but they didn't receive their blessing for another fourteen long years. Our running ahead doesn't pressure God to hurry His agenda. We have to learn that truth; be patient…wait. When we try to coerce the Lord into giving us what we want, when we want it, He responds, in effect, “You're not ready. This blessing isn't good for you right now. You have so much more to learn. so trust Me. And don't expect Me to explain Myself.”
Men, women and children living in PAP today and those of us in the U.S. are possibly praying that great American prayer, “Lord, hurry up!” Where are you God? We’ve been waiting a long time. Waiting is difficult, and we’d like to start seeing some progress. God tells us…wait. His way and in His time.
When we're forced to wait, the Lord helps us acquire an appetite for the blessing that is to come. Meanwhile, He builds our maturity so that when the fulfillment finally does arrive, we are prepared to enjoy His blessing to the fullest. Wait. Give it time. God is a work in ways we can’t understand.
Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Amen.
May God be with you,
Jay