Hearing His Voice #173

The LORD took Abram outside and said to him, “Look up into the sky and count the stars if you can. That’s how many descendants you will have!”

Genesis 15:5

God gave Abraham (Abram) a profound and powerful promise, and Abraham believed it. But many years later, after plenty of visible evidence that the promise might have been an empty one, Abraham was still waiting for God’s words to come to pass. The process surely must have seemed cruel, as if God were dangling hope in front of His servant like a master dangles a carrot in front of his donkey to keep him moving. Why didn’t God wait to give Abraham the promise until a short time before He was ready to fulfill it? For long years, the word seemed always visible, yet painfully unattainable.

That’s often how God works, as Joseph, David, and many others would be able to testify. He speaks, and then life seems to taunt us with contradictions to His voice. We expect a direct process, and it hardly ever is. We expect an immediate fulfillment, and God is usually thinking long-term. We get frustrated, even when we understand this dynamic, and downright disillusioned when we don’t. God’s word to us is a seed that often takes a really long time to grow.

Handling God’s words to us—His guidance, His promises, and His correction or affirmation—is just as important as hearing Him in the first place. He wants us to hold them with faith and patience, even when we don’t understand how or when they could possibly be fulfilled. We must continually remind ourselves that God’s words don’t die. They are planted deep in the soil of our hearts and circumstances, and they will grow up and bear fruit.

Lord, I know Your words will test my resolve. Please help me not only to endure the process faithfully, but also to be strengthened throughout it. May I, like Abraham, end up with faith that does not waver.