Tired of Waiting

I wish I knew when things would start happenind the way I'd like them too. Abram kept getting these big, beautiful promises from God. But it sure looked like God was taking his sweet time delivering them.

Genesis, outlines the bare facts of his story, (From Chapter 15) Abraham had to wait 25 years to get the son he was waiting for.  The son of the promise, by which his desendants would be like the stars in the sky, by which all the families of the earth would be blessed.
He was 100 years old when this son was born. And then the Lord tested him, the way that God the Father would be so many years later.
He was told to sacrifice his one and only son. The boy didn't know what was going to happen. He understood about sacrifice, and wondered where the lamb was. Abraham (as his name was finally changed by this point) said that the Lord would provide it. Isaac was carrying the wood, just like Jesus would carry his wooden beam. Abraham was carrying a burning torch and a knife. He was ready to be obediant. He had always listened to this point. But how did it feel? It took so long to finally have his own son. His wife was 90 years old when she gave birth. His miracle, his pride and his answer to prayer was going to die. How was it when he laid his boy out on that alter. How did the look in his son's eyes peirce his soul?
"Papa! What are you doing? Is this what the Lord wants?" Did he try to stop him? Did he willingly sit still and wait if he understood that this was His Father's act of obediance?
How was it holding that knife in his hand, heavy, painful, disgusting? How was it restraining his son and placing him up there on the wood? How was it reaching with that knife?
God stopped him. He wouldn't let it happen. He was just seeing if Abraham was willing to put obediance first, even when it didn't make sense. To see if his faith was stronger than his own will.
The Lord spoke from heaven and told him not to do it. I wonder if Isaac heard the voice? I wonder if he had any idea how close he was? I wonder how long and crushingly hard Abraham hugged his son afterwards.

We all love to read the promises God pours out, but its not easy to think of the sacrifice he might ask of us. To give up what we love? What we want? What we think we need to fulfill the plan he has for us.

A ram was left to take Isaax's place. And he lifted his son off of the rock, and maybe together they finished the ritual. The place was named, "The-Lord-will-provide."

I haven't had to wait 25 years to recieve the things I'm sure God has promised me. I haven't had to give up or be willing to give up anything ridiculously difficult. To truly follow God means obediance whether we agree or not. Whether we consider the Lord God of the universe to have thought things through adequately or not. Giving up and letting Him have His way is the only option.

It isn't enough to thank Jesus for being the lamb that was provided to take away our sins, but to not acknowledge Him as King and to live under His standards of holiness and purity.