THE WAITING PERIOD
He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief;
but was strong in faith, giving glory to God – Rom 4:20
Abraham understood the significance of God’s word. When conditions around him proved that there was no hope of the manifestation of the promise, he held on. He was not discouraged. Looking at the life of this man, a question we may want to ask is “What was he doing during the waiting period?”
The Scripture reveals something unique about the character of this man. We are made to understand that he staggered not at the promise of God; he was strong in faith and never gave room for unbelief or despair. The most intriguing of all was that all through that waiting period, he was busy rejoicing and giving glory to God for a son that is yet to come. He saw himself as the father of the promised child and was preparing himself for that responsibility.
It is a common practice these days to see Christians becoming frustrated when their prayers are not answered on time. Their frustrations are directed towards heaven and they begin to ask God “Why, why?” They look for alternative solution and begin to depend on humans in place of God. This ought not to be so.
There is a lesson for us in the life of Abraham. The place of faith in prayer cannot be overlooked. We must be strong in faith and believe God is interested in answering our prayers. We must learn how to rejoice and thank Him even when the prayers have not been answered.
Are you trusting God for a spouse? Believe it is done. Organize your thought process. Rejoice in Him. Think and act like the spouse has come. Are you believing Him for a job? Believe it is settled. Envision yourself already working in that establishment. Draw the spending analysis of your expected income. Plan what you intend to make out of that job.
In all, never fail to give Him glory. Always see the waiting period as a season of rejoicing, knowing that God inhabits the praises of His people. As you learn to do this, and wholly depend on Him, He will hear those secret cries of yours and bestow upon you an awesome reward.
