Hang on, saints! God is faithful. And He is going to see to it that the promise He made you comes to pass. Staying encouraged in the waiting season is key. But to do that, we need to look at the first promise. In that promise, we see three important factors about promises.
If you really knew who He was, you would ask Him. He has the gift-ready. He comes prepared.
The Eleven O'clock news used to be known for its news. You could turn on the television for thirty minutes and get caught up on the world's headlines. Now, however, national news has become nothing more than argument and opinion. A quick synonym search for the word argumentative will give you opinionated. Everything we see and hear, from commercials to cartoons, is now bloated with opinions being shoved down our throats. And if we aren't careful, we will become, in retaliation, precisely the same way. Why?
Doesn't everyone want to know what to do? Yet, there is a second and equally powerful need. To know when to do it. Former chairman of Chrysler, Lee Iacocca, once said, "Even the correct decision is wrong when it was taken too late."
We've all heard that God works in mysterious ways. Well, those who say it aren't wrong. When Elisha wanted to retrieve an ax head from the bottom of a lake, his instruction was to throw a piece of wood in the water where the ax head sunk. This action caused it to float. When Gideon needed an army, the instruction was to use torches and pots as weapons. They won. When Israel needed water, God told Moses to throw a tree in the bitter water, and it would be made sweet. Water problem solved.
What does real surrender look like? Surrender doesn't mean laying down or throwing up your arms in defeat. Surrendering means wrestling.
Regardless of the state of a man, God is just. In Exodus, He did not demand that Pharoah worship Him, nor those who lived in Egypt. His command to Pharaoh was simply to allow His people the freedom to do so. He knew at the end that Pharoah would allow them to go and do as He commanded. Still, because He is just, He allowed Pharoah to let them go and worship Him before any judgment would be pronounced against the Egyptian king personally, his land, or his people. God is so good that He gave this defiant, earthly king the ability not to do battle with the King of Kings. And in His mercy, He still gives this ability to the kings, presidents, and officials of today. God is not slow in His deliverance, folks. He is deliberate. And He will always win. Our part is to continue to proclaim the message during the waiting.
"We've struck water!" they exclaimed. Isaac's servants had just found [...]
As Abraham listened, he heard what sounded like the breaking of a promise. God had told him that by Sarah, he would have a son. And through that son would come descendants as numerous as the stars of the sky and sand of the seashore. How could God ask him to offer his son as a sacrifice?
There are times when we have labored, worked, and obeyed. We did the work alone while standing against the mockers and the nay-sayers. We did everything the Lord asked us to do, and then God closes a door. It can feel isolated and cut off. It can seem like a tight, narrow, and limited space. It can even stink! Nothing seems solid. The ground continually moves under your feet. There is no stability for what seems like an eternity.
