After this, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward." But Abram said, "O Sovereign LORD, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?" 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." He took him outside and said, "Look up at the heavens and count the stars—if indeed you can count them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be." Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness. Genesis 15:1-6 How To be Patient With God’s Promises God does not always fulfill his promises as quickly as we would like. Perhaps you have noticed this. His timetable is often different from ours. But if we listen to his Word again and again, God will give us the patience we need to wait for him to fulfill his promises. God did this for a man named Abraham about four thousand years ago. God had promised to make Abraham’s descendants into a great nation from which the Savior of the world would come. But ten years after God first made this promise, Abraham and his wife still had no children. Not only that, Abraham was eighty-five years old and his wife was seventy-five. How long was God going to wait? We can relate to how Abraham was feeling. Our faith in God’s promises sometimes flounders as well. Are his promises true? Will he keep his Word? Why is it taking so long? God knew Abraham needed to have his faith renewed so he took him outside and said, “Look up at the heavens and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” And we are told: “Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.” God strengthened Abraham’s faith by repeating his promise. God does the same for you. You are feeling lonely. God’s Word says, “I am with you.” You are feeling frightened. God’s Word says, “I will protect you.” You are feeling frustrated. God’s Word says, “I will take care of you.” You are feeling guilty. God’s Word says, “I forgive you.” You are feeling mortal. God’s Word says, “I give you eternal life.” We don’t need to hear these promises just once. We need to hear them again and again because life keeps coming at us. The challenges to our faith keep trying to pull us away from our God, and his Word keeps pulling us back. So the next time your faith is getting impatient with God, go back to his Word and listen to those promises once again. His Word will empower you to be patient until he keeps all of his promises. Prayer: Lord God, thank you for the many wonderful promises you give me in your Word. When my faith flounders and I become impatient, take me back to your Word again and again and use that Word to fortify my faith and give me the patience I need. Amen.
Posted on: Wed, 14 Aug 2013 13:13:22 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015