He's still writing your story...
Many women in the Bible have a story that teaches us something as they battled through rough days. Unless God changes my course, I want to focus on some of these ladies over the next few weeks. They faced trials, but they came out of those trials with a testimony of God’s grace. Often times a story turns out very different than we think it will; in the Bible and in our own lives.
I’m sure most of you can think back to a time when you tried to do things your own way because you had become impatient with God. Sarah became impatient and tried to do things her own way.
When we are first introduced to Sarah, or Sarai at this point, the Bible says in Genesis 11:30 (AMP) But Sarai was barren; she did not have a child. We all know what the word barren means; it means unproductive, infertile, and sterile. But after the word barren, there is a comma and then it says, she did not have a child. When I read this passage a while back, this is the part that jumped out at me. I hadn't noticed it before.
When there is a comma in a sentence, it can mean but, or what is after the comma can clarify what is before it. So wouldn’t it say she was barren, she couldn’t have children? But that’s not what it says, so I read this sentence again because I know what barren means, and I know the end of the story. So what comes before the comma is, in some ways, contradictory to what comes after it. So I read this sentence again. To me, this sentence says; she is barren now, but wait, GOD’S NOT DONE YET.
This means that Abraham has no offspring, so he believes a servant in his household will be his heir. In Genesis 15:4, God tells him that a son, coming from your own body will be his heir.
God had given Abraham a promise. But as time goes on, Sarah loses patience. When she thinks she is too old for a child, she decided to take matters into her own hands.
She told Abraham to also take her maidservant to be his wife, and he agreed. Even if we didn’t know this story, that just sounds like trouble. The maidservant conceived, and there began to be jealousy and turmoil in the house and Sarah blamed Abraham for the situation they were in. There was turmoil because it wasn't God’s plan. But GOD’S NOT DONE YET!
Fast forward about 13 years, and in chapter 17 God says that Sarah will give Abraham a son. The Bible says that when Sarah heard the news, she laughed because she did not believe it. She laughed, I might have cried. But, Sarah can only see her situation for what it is, not what God could make it. She couldn’t see past what seems impossible to us.
In verse 13, when Sarah is questioned for her laughter, the visitor said, "is anything too hard for God?" NO, nothing is too hard for God, but just because what you want doesn't work out in the time or way you think it should, God's not done yet. His time is not always our time. God's timing wasn't Sarah's timing.
But there is always purpose in the wait. God doesn't do anything that's not part of His plan. If He has promised it, He will fulfill it!
But think about this a moment...do you think that if Sarah had just left the situation in God’s hands, it would have taken her so long to have a child? If Sarah had never brought Hagar into her marriage, would God have waited until she was 90 to give her a child?
I'm not sure of the answer, but sometimes we have to learn lessons the hard way. And sometimes letting God have control is the hardest part. But I assure you, no matter where you are in your story, GOD’S NOT DONE YET! He wasn’t done with Sarah, and He’s not done with you.
God forgive me when I get impatient and cannot see what you are able to make of my situation. Help me to remember that there is purpose in the wait. And thank you that YOU AREN’T DONE YET, and my story doesn't stop here.
Journal prompt: What situation am I in that God isn’t done with yet? Am I willing to give Him control even when I lose patience?
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