Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.
~ Proverbs 13:12 ESV ~
A promise was made, and the wait for fulfillment is first met with anticipation and excitement. And then time passed. Days faded to weeks. Weeks melted into years. And the number of years ratcheted upwards into the double digits.
One might question, "Did I hear correctly?" or ... as think as Sarai thought, maybe God needs help.
Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had borne him no children. And she had an Egyptian maidservant whose name was Hagar. So Sarai said to Abram, "See now, the LORD has restrained me from bearing children. Please go in to my maid; perhaps I shall obtain children by her." And Abram heeded the voice of Sarai.
~ Genesis 16:1-2 NKJV ~
What was their promise? A nation. Their descendants would be so numerous that they would outnumber the grains of sand on the seashore and the stars of the sky. And yet, Sarai had been unable to conceive. A disgrace in her culture.
Discouragement, disappointment, defeat, and depression are words often associated with the deferment of a promise, hope, or expectation. Unless caused by some chemical imbalance in the brain, even depression is often associated with a loss of hope or unmet expectations.
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| Courtesy Google Images |
We can't be certain Sarai (later called Sarah) experienced these feelings, but her actions make me wonder. She decided to assist God with the promise, and with the involvement of a slave woman, Ishmael was born.
And yet, God said this was not the son of his promise (Genesis 17:18-19).
Many more years passed before Isaac was born. Scripture tells us that his name means laughter. Sarah gave him this name, as the promise fulfilled bubbled up within, removing the shame and reproach she carried due to her barrenness.
The moment Jesus was born, all heaven rejoiced, sending angels to announce His arrival. After 400 years of silence, it is reasonable to say that people had lost hope. But He came, as promised. Not on our time, but on time.
And yet, when hope is deferred, God seems silent, promises appear to have been forgotten, and how many of us fall prey to the thoughts that nothing will ever change?
As the proverb says, the heart becomes sick. I don't know if this is literal, but heartbreak is a common thing among humans.
There are questions we must ask ourselves when we perceive a delay in God's promises.
- If God never fulfilled the promise, would you continue to trust Him?
- If things never changed, would you continue to follow Him?
- Does the promise fulfilled glorify Him, or for your benefit alone? (James 4:3-4)
Reflecting on a previous message, What Choice Do I Have? I must remind us all that we have a choice to make. This life we have been gifted is for His pleasure:
- Worthy are You, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things, and by Your will they existed and were created. (Revelation 4:11)
- For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things were created through Him and for Him. (Colossians 1:16)
- In love, He predestined us for adoption to Himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of His will, to the praise of His glorious grace, with which He has blessed us in the Beloved ... In Him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of His glory. (Ephesians 1:5-6, 11-12).
- Everyone who is called by My name whom I created for My glory, whom I formed and made. (Isaiah 43:7)
- You make known to me the path of life; in Your presence there is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore. (Psalm 16:11)
- The LORD has made everything for its purpose, even the wicked for the day of trouble. (Proverbs 16:4)
- And God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. (Genesis 1:31)
- He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, He has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. (Ecclesiastes 3:11)
- For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be glory forever. Amen. (Romans 11:36)
For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. ~ Psalm 30:5 ~
Until next time, keep looking up. 💝 Karlene J 💝
