Waiting

Waiting

Q: What did Sarah do when God told her she’d have a baby?

• a. rejoice
• b. laugh
• c. pray

John is used to getting everything he wants. Each birthday and Christmas he gets the latest expensive gadget. But he quickly becomes bored with his gift and searches for something more exciting.

Mikayla lives with her grandmother in a one-bedroom apartment. Mikayla sleeps on the couch each night and stores her bedding in the closet during the day. Mikayla wants a ten-speed bicycle, so she’s found jobs walking pets, pet sitting, or babysitting. She works most afternoons and all day on Saturdays to earn enough money for a bike.

Which one is most appreciative of what he or she has: John or Mikayla? It might seem John would be because he has more, but in reality, Mikayla probably is because she worked for the bike and had to wait longer before she could get it. It was something she wanted enough to invest her own time and effort into getting.

God promised that Abraham’s family would become a great nation, but Abraham didn’t have any children. Sarah couldn’t have a baby. Years went by without the promised child being born. Finally when Sarah was past the age of having a baby, God told her she would give birth to a son. Sarah laughed. How could that be? It was humanly impossible. But it wasn’t impossible with God.

Why did God make Abraham and Sarah wait? Maybe so that, like Mikayla, they’d appreciate their gift more. Or maybe so they’d learn to trust God more. Perhaps they had to wait so God would get the credit for this miracle baby.

Have you asked God to do something he hasn’t done yet? That may not mean he’ll never do it. It might mean he’s waiting so you’ll appreciate it more when it happens.

For You

Have you ever waited a long time to get something or worked to buy something yourself? How do you think waiting changed your feelings toward what you received or bought?

Answer: b

Abraham and Sarah were both very old by this time, and Sarah was long past the age of having children. So she laughed silently to herself and said, “How could a worn-out woman like me enjoy such pleasure, especially when my master—my husband—is also so old?”   Genesis 18:11-12

(The Whole Story: Genesis 18:1-15)