Good things come to those who wait.

"Give me success today."
Genesis 24:12

I find myself aware of timing again today.  Yesterday it was God's timing, and how often He is reminded of His covenant with His children.  Today I am thinking about my timing.  I was reminded of a story in Genesis, and it made me wonder ~ not for the first time ~ how often my timing is off.  How often do I jump the gun on what God has planned for my life?

The hero of this story is Abraham.  Abraham had been promised, by God, that he would have a son, and that his descendants would number more than the sands on the shore.   But as we know, it took a long time before Abraham became the father of that son, Isaac.  As much of a joy as it must have been when Isaac was born, that was only part of what God had promised.  If there were going to be myriad descendants, Isaac was going to need a wife.  And here is where Abraham impresses me.

During those long years when Abraham was waiting for Isaac, he made the mistake of trying to handle the timing himself.  At Sarah's suggestion, he became the father of Ishmael.  This was a decision with complicated and long-range consequences.  But several years later, to his credit, he did not waver when faced with the idea of sacrificing Isaac, so clearly there was growth in Abraham's faith, which is all any of us can ask for, isn't it?

And I think Abraham's wisdom reaches a high point when the time comes to find a wife for Isaac.  In chapter 24 of Genesis, Abraham sends his trusted to servant back to Abraham's relatives to find a wife from among his family.  I read this story again today and found myself amazed that Abraham was only now taking steps to accomplish this crucial task.  Verse 1 says that Abraham was old and advanced in years (old and well advanced?  Ouch!).  So why did he wait this long?  Marriages were often arranged when the parties involved were still children, and I think it shows such patience and faith on his part.  It's obvious he doesn't feel as strong a need to handle important things his way, as he did when he was young and not-so-advanced in age.  It was God's promise, and He appears to be confident in God's fulfillment of it.   And the servant was immediately successful in finding a wife for Isaac, showing that God indeed blessed Abraham's plan, because Abraham was relying on God's plan.

I admire this show of trust on Abraham's part.  My prayer is often the same as in today's verse:  "Please, God, give me success today."  But I'm saying it in my timing.  It can't be success if it's not God's perfect plan.  And I'm of two minds about whether Abraham had it easy or not.  I envy his being given a clear promise in regards to his son and his descendants.  I wish I had more of an idea of God's plan for my life.  I feel like I could be more patient in the hard times if I knew what the goal was.  But on the other hand, maybe it would be harder to wait if I knew what I am waiting for.   I know I often don't tell my children about something exciting until right before it happens, because I don't want the waiting to be too hard.

Waiting is never easy.  But I certainly should be able to take a cue from Abraham on what to do while waiting.  Sometimes, what God wants us to do while we're waiting is just, well, wait!  Be still, and know that He is God.  The time will come for action, and we need to trust that He'll let us know when that time is.