Are you holding out for God’s best?

“The Lord kept his word and did for Sarah exactly what he had promised. She became pregnant, and she gave birth to a son for Abraham in his old age. This happened at just the time God had said it would. And Abraham named their son Isaac. Eight days after Isaac was born, Abraham circumcised him as God had commanded. Abraham was 100 years old when Isaac was born.” ~ Genesis 21:1-5 NLT

God can be trusted to keep his word by doing exactly what he promises to do at just the time he plans to do so. Abraham kept his promise by responding in covenant faithfulness at just the time God asked for it (he circumcised Isaac on his 8th day). 

This is such a faith affirming story. In fact, Sarah laughs in wonder and delight at God’s grace and goodness - and many people join her in joyful worship. 

But don’t ignore that last verse - Abraham was 100 years old when all of this took place. He and Sarah had been waiting 25 years for God to keep his promise and had stumbled badly along the way in their discouragement and impatience. God had to prepare them to receive what he’d promised, and that was a long journey. 

Many of us are waiting on God to fulfill his promises also. Could it be that God is busy at work preparing us? Like Abraham we can take shortcuts in our impatience and discouragement that only serve to complicate our lives, dishonor God, and increase the suffering. God revealed himself to Abraham as his “very great reward” - do we see God as the giver of good things, or as the very best thing we could ever receive in the person of Christ? How we respond to that question reveals how prepared we truly are. 

Until we are ready to let go of what we most cherish we are not ready to receive what God most wants to give us. 

I love this quote from C.S. Lewis:

“It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”