Delayed Promises

I have been going to a Bible study on Thursday nights that is based on Beth Moore's study on the Patriarchs. This week, God spoke so many things to my impatient heart. I am so glad we serve a God that looks on us lovingly as we dance around with ants in our pants waiting for prayers to be answered. My heart is warmed when I realize that He has reached into my heart to calm me and gently remind me that waiting on Him will always bring rewards.

In Genesis 12, God promises Abram blessings, fame, and land. Abram goes to the land and shortly thereafter, famine comes. Gee, thanks - right? Abram books it down to Egypt to wait out the famine. We don't know if God told him to go there, or if he went of his own volition. I speculate as to whether he went there under God's direction because he was so afraid that he lied about Sarai being his wife.

Let's assume he did go of his own accord. Is running ahead of God or stepping outside His plan what caused Abram to lose trust in God to protect him? A shifting focus from God to self-preservation can cause one to lose perspective and fall prey to temptation. Was it a mere lack of trust that caused Abram to lie? Could selfishness have been a factor? Could one breathe life into the other? In the end, Abram's lie is exposed and he is sent packing. This part of the story has always baffled me a little. It appears that Abram is basically rewarded for lying. He amassed great wealth while in Egypt, many gifts from the pharaoh. Then with a stern word, he is given his wife, all his belongings and sent on his way. That's it? No lightning bolt or anything? Hmmm.

Remember the famine? I am operating under the assumption Abram high-tailed it to Egypt under no direction from God, got himself into a mess, and now in chapter 13 is heading back toward Bethel where they had camped before. Verse 4 says, "This was the place where Abram had built the altar, and there he again worshiped the Lord." He seems to be getting back on track. Now he is so wealthy that the land cannot support both him and Lot and all their possessions. So he graciously offers Lot first choice of the land. Lot looks around and picks the best, most fertile land for himself. Yet again, this wonderful blessing Abram is supposed to receive seems to be like the short end of the wishbone. But look at what follows in verse 14 of chapter 13.

"After Lot was gone, the Lord said to Abram, 'Look as far as you can see in every direction. I am going to give all this land to you and your offspring as a permanent possession."

He finally takes a step back, puts someone else first and it seems he is getting the shaft again - then God steps in and gives him everything. Abraham seems to be the man of the delayed promise. It appears that he is always going to end up with the bootleg version of a blessing or that somehow his blessing will be temporary or taken away completely. Later he is promised a son, then met with another delay. Again, he takes matters into his own hands and tries to create the blessing for himself. Finally, after the promised son is given, God tells Abraham to sacrifice him.

God used this cycle of promise-delay-sacrifice in Abraham's life to strengthen his faith. If Abraham was tempted to take matters into his own hands and "help God along" maybe that's why he had to endure the same lesson more than once. Maybe he tended to take "ownership" of things more than he should. Maybe God had to train him to a point where he truly viewed everything as belonging to God.

I frequently find myself caught up in this same cycle. I will receive a promise, then comes the delay. Sometimes it appears that someone else is getting to cash in on the promise instead of me. And sometimes God calls me to sacrifice it altogether. I am so stubborn, greedy and hard-headed. If only I would learn from Abraham's progress and return to the altar of the Lord. Lay my "possessions" at his feet and be truly willing to sacrifice it all to Him.

I know I go through times of famine and delay because I have tried to pack my own tent so full of junk that it is bulging at the seams. I cling to that tent with all my might. But how can I embrace God when my hands are holding so tightly onto other things?

I must make my way back toward Bethel where I once worshipped the Lord. And I must again worship him. I need to allow others in my life the freedom to grow, and I need to put them first and let them go. I need to stand empty-handed before my Lord and let Him fill me up in His own time. Only then will I be ready to receive and humble enough to be used.