Saturday, April 2, 2011

Faithful

Tissot_Sarah_Hears_and_Laughs

By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. (Hebrews 11:8 KJV)

Before scriptures.  All Abraham had were the stories from the creation, and his own conversations with God.  We hear of him in Genesis, first begotten of Terah, living in Ur. 

And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran his son's son, and Sarai his daughter in law, his son Abram's wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there. (Genesis 11:31 KJV)

Abraham was seventy-five when God gave him the first promise of the covenant.

Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran. (Genesis 12:1-4 KJV)

Another twenty years pass before God restates the promise that caused Sarah to laugh:

And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her. Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear? (Genesis 17:16-17 KJV)

Could you wait those twenty years?  Sarah didn’t.  She selected and gave Hagar to her husband to provide the promised child.  She made a similar mistake to that of Eve – surely God had made an error and what she believed would work was better than what God had planned. Wasn’t it taking Him too long, anyway?

How often do we do exactly the same thing?  We’ve waited long past what we thought would be God’s timing.  Didn’t we ask, as He said we should?  Didn’t we wait, for what seemed to be a long, long time?
Learn, as Abraham did, so that when we are faced with situations that test our faith, we will be faithful.

Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. (Matthew 24:44-46 KJV)

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