The Waiting Game
- The Narrow Path
- Jun 10, 2022
- 3 min read
And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir. And behold, the word of the Lord came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir” (Genesis 15:3-4, ESV).
I’m pretty good at most games. Sports require skill, games require strategy, and both require a little bit of luck every now and then, too. Monopoly, Candy Land, Sorry, and The Game of Life have withstood the test of time and are still some of the most popular board games available for purchase. I’ve thought about developing a new board game called “The Waiting Game,” but I’m pretty certain it wouldn’t be very popular.
None of us like to wait. If we’re talking specifically about the flesh, we would all be in a tie at the top of the list. I’ve always been a go-getter. If there’s a project that needs to be completed, I want to have it done yesterday. In college, if I had a paper due in two weeks, I finished it at least a week early. If an event is supposed to start at 6:00 p.m., I’m there 30 minutes early and wondering when everyone else is going to show up.
In life, the desire to “get er done” has actually proved to be very valuable. It has allowed me to be successful in sports, academics, and so many other avenues of my life. Yet, it’s an area of my spiritual life that the Lord has continually been addressing. I think it’s one of the reasons that my favorite character in all of the Bible is Abraham.
When I think about Abraham and the stories of his life counted throughout the Word of God, I think about two words: obedience and impatience. The stories of Abraham have taught me so many applicable lessons that have led to significant growth on my journey of faith.
Read Genesis 12. Abraham’s obedience led him to leave his family and his homeland to follow the Lord to an unknown destination.
Read Genesis 15: 3–4. And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir. And behold, the word of the Lord came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.” God made a covenant with Abraham that he would have a son and that he would become the father of many nations.
Read Genesis 16. Abraham and Sarah’s impatience with God’s plan for their future led to the disaster that became Hagar having Abraham’s illegitimate son.
Read Genesis 22. Abraham demonstrates true obedience to the Lord when he is asked to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, on the altar as a burnt offering.
The story of Genesis is a beautiful one. It’s a story of creation, of obedience, of how impatience can lead us into disaster, and most of all, a story of a redemptive God who, despite our tendency toward sinfulness, keeps His promises.
The stories found in Genesis regarding Abraham, through his obedience and impatience, have taught me more about leaning into the promises of God than I ever would have learned from the world. I’m often tempted to ignore his promptings. I sometimes want to take situations into my own hands. I am not always good at waiting. However, since I have connected with the biblical stories of Abraham, God has transformed my heart in a way that reminds me to look at my life through the lens of an omniscient God.
When God calls me, I want to go. When God asks me to trust Him, I want to say, “Yes, Lord.” When God tells me to wait, I want to heed his instruction. When I find myself struggling to play The Waiting Game, I direct myself back to the instructions, the Word of God, for it is there that I am reminded that I serve a God who has an amazing plan for my life.
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