How many times have you questioned God’s plan for your life? How many times have you asked, “God, are you sure this is what you wanted me to do?” Then you wait . . . and wait for God’s plan to unfold, only it doesn’t. At least, it doesn’t according to the time schedule we have set for our lives.
Imagine Abraham, or Abram, at the time of God’s promise. He was seventy-five years old when he received God’s call, along with a promise to bless him and make him the father of a great nation. (Genesis 12:2) The Bible says Abram immediately set out for the land of Canaan hundreds of miles away. I’m sure that was no easy journey. Still, Abram pressed on, trusting God every step of the way.
For writers, the road to publication is not an easy one. It’s filled with rejection letters and a lot of hard work. We strive to make everything right and in frustration sometimes question the gift of storytelling God has blessed us with. Abram also questioned God. Eight years after God’s initial promise, Abram, who was now eighty-three, wondered how he’d be the father of a great nation when he had no children of his own. That’s when God showed him the stars, promising him an equal number of offspring.
I don’t know about anyone else, but I think I would have been skeptical. I would have pointed out my age, the fact that my wife was beyond childbearing years, or at least walked away scratching my head. Not Abram, the Bible says. He believed the Lord. He stood on God’s promise.
It took twenty-five years of waiting before both Abraham and Sarah started to doubt, to the point of laughing at the thought of Sarah conceiving a son. But it occurred, just as God had promised, in God’s perfect timing.
Jeremiah 29:11 says: “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”
Can we be as patient as Abraham? Do we stand strong on his promise or hold on with a white-knuckled grip in hopes of it occurring? If God has given us the gift of writing (or anything else), are we willing to wait twenty-five years for His promise to come to fruition? Are we strong enough to wait through the myriad of rejections for “the call”? Are we able to trust in God’s perfect timing?
I leave you with one of my favorite scriptures. I pray it reminds you that whatever trial you are going through, whatever promise you are waiting for, God is with you every step of the way. When we wait on God, everything will fall into place, perfectly.
Isaiah 40: 29-31
He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless.
Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion.
But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.
They will soar high on wings like eagles.
They will run and not grow weary.
They will walk and not faint.
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I needed this inspiring post today, Jennie! Thanks so much for the encouraging word! Waiting on God’s timing is always hard, I know. But how many of God’s biggest blessings are found in the waiting rooms of life? And when I’m stuck in the waiting room again, it always helps me to remember those “waiting room” stories. Love that promise from Isaiah 40!