Genesis 16:2(KJV)
And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the Lord hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai.
God had blessed Abraham and promised to make him the father of many nations, but all that seemed insignificant to him because he did not have any children. He asked God, “what good are Your blessings if I don’t have a son, and since You have not given me a son, my servant Eliezer of Damascus will inherit all my wealth.” God responded and told Abraham that he and Sarah would have a son to inherit them. God promised them a child, but as they got older, they began to see it as impossible, so they tried it their way. So, instead of waiting for the promised son, Abraham hurried for himself his wife’s housemaid Hagar, and she gave birth to Ishmael. He heard directly from God and not from any prophet, but his patience got exhausted over time, and he opted for man’s alternative, provided by the duo of Sarah and Hagar. In their impatience, they concluded that it was probably through another woman that they would have the promised child. It led to all the heartache and sorrow that Abram and Sarah experienced. Sarah did not know that for every prophecy and promise of God, there is an ordained timing for their fulfillment, and patience is the vehicle to reach the correct time for it to come to pass.
We live in a world filled with the plague of impatience, and many have contracted this syndrome, pricking them by this fastness bug. The infection of impatience can cause us to settle for less. Impatience makes people give up on God in the face of challenges. Impatience seeks alternatives to God’s perfect plans for their lives for a solution, and to seek an alternative to God is to crash in life and destiny. When God is leading us in a clear direction, or if He has made a promise to us, any contrary opinion or alternative comes out of impatience, doubt, or unbelief. When we can no longer wait for God’s plan, we come up with substitutes. In other words, when we get tired of waiting on God, we are tempted to take matters into our own hands, leading to impatience. As Christians, we all have moments when we all have the appetite to do something. That is when patience is needed. For every one of God’s prophecies and promises, there is a God-ordained timing for its fulfillment, and patience is the required vehicle to reach its completion. Habakkuk 2:2-3 says, “And the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.”
Beloved, wait patiently upon the Lord in every area of your life, and He will never disappoint you. He will strengthen you! Resist discouragement, depression, and despair, and endure the battle until your change comes. Instead, be patient and wait for the Lord’s Help and timing in all situations. Be patient with God and His vision for your life. Be patient no matter what you are going through now, for surely the night will end. Every problem has an expiry date, and the night will not last forever. Your dark days will not last forever because there is light at the end of the tunnel. During the storm, in the midst of it all, be patient and wait for Him; He can never be late. Do not be discouraged in waiting for your time of change. Today, rest in God and wait patiently for Him. Although He will act according to His will, it will be in your favor and benefit. As you look up to Jesus, He will show Himself as the ever-present Help, and you will sing a new song of victory. When your path is winding with curves with sketchy twists, and your race is slow, remember the race is not for the swift nor the battle for the strong, but the Lord shows mercy. Surrender to Him; stay faithful to the vision He has given you, and He will be trustworthy to complete it. Remember, God’s promises for your life are for an appointed time.
O Lord, forgive me for my impatience. I receive the grace to patiently wait for You in all things in Jesus’ Name.