The Wait

In God’s intimate involvement in our lives, he makes us promises. We wait for their fulfillment, feeling a mix of divine assurance and human anxiety. Our bodies see the bareness, but our spirits taste the fruit. The wait.

Israel’s father of faith, Abraham, also waited on God wondering how his barren wife would bear children as many as the stars in the sky. Yet this was the promise of God, to trust in the impossible. One asks why God even makes these promises if he knows how unbearable the wait can feel. Perhaps the same reason he made the sun to rise each morning, to assure us that night does not last forever.

God spoke to Abraham many times calling him to be the father of many nations. God too speaks to us in different ways using events, people, his word, and through our spirits that are divinely linked to his. What he says will never contradict his will revealed in the bible. Perhaps God has been speaking to you, giving you a promise about a certain matter in your life. Look into his word to confirm if the message is truly from him.

I once heard God speak to me about this very blog. Five years before penning my first article I was in a sinful place. Sexual addiction had a hold on me, yet from the depths of a guilty prayer God promised me that I would one day do his work. I held onto that promise on days it felt like I was beyond salvation. Today I write about his saving grace. When all I hoped for was freedom God had something better in store; giving purpose to years wasted in sin. His promises are immeasurably more than we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.

The time between the promise and the fulfillment is often hard. Doubt creeps in, despair is around the bend and fear haunts you. Sarah, Abraham’s wife was consumed by all of these. She felt that God did not see her in the promise of a child to Abraham. Sarah struggled with her own sense of timing and control. Feeling the weight of her barrenness and the passage of time, she took matters into her own hands forcing her slave girl to have a child with her husband resulting in so much hurt and confusion.

The threat of uncertainty makes us spin. That’s why our minds are always trying to create their own assurance. If we can’t control circumstances outside us we want to have a grip on them within us. So, we overthink, plan for everything that could go wrong, and work our minds dry trying to make sure everything goes right. In this state, it’s easy to act on anxiety like Sarah did. There is a difference between inaction, acting in your wisdom, and acting according to God’s will. Inaction is apathy, believing the situation cannot be changed even by God. Acting according to your wisdom comes from a desire to control everything. But if you have lived for more than one day on earth you know you are not in charge. However much you want to, you cannot control everything that happens to you. With all the uncertainty in life, we need something true. An assurance that won’t change. A calm in a sea of anxiety. A foundation to build our lives on.

Romans 4: 18-24

Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.” The words “it was credited to him” were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.

Who we put our hope in is more important than the promise. Abraham was fully persuaded that God had the power to do what he had promised because he believed in and walked closely with God. He knew the character of his promise bearer. He saw the personal God guide his family to the land of Canaan. He felt the loving God repeatedly still his fears of remaining childless. He saw the might of God rescue him from four kings who tried to kill his nephew. He experienced the generosity of God when his wealth was multiplied each time he went to a new land. He felt the mercy of God forgive his lies that put Sarah in danger twice. He saw the justice of God when Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed for their sin. He knew the faithfulness of God long before his son Isaac was ever born. Abraham’s hope was not merely in the promise of a child but in the character and faithfulness of the God who made that promise.

Get to know the one who you put your faith in, only then can you trust your life to him. Take all that time you spend worrying and instead read the scripture. In its pages, you will read of Abraham, Hannah, David, and Elizabeth who waited on God and saw him fulfill his promise of children and kingdoms. Pray earnestly to hear from God so that you may have daily strength and peace as you wait. Once you know God is working all things for his glory and our good you can live life with an open hand, knowing the promise will be fulfilled in his perfect time.

Faith does not ask us to be blind to our circumstances, to ignore the debt or barrenness. Rather to see these things in light of God’s promises and character. Knowing and experiencing the character of God—His unchanging nature and his active involvement in our lives—gives us a solid foundation for our hope. It’s not just about the promises we hold onto but about the trust we have in the One who makes and fulfills those promises. This deep relational trust transforms our journey, helping us to navigate uncertainties with faith and assurance.

As you trust God with your life know he is directing your life to a good end. God's promises are not always immediately fulfilled, but they invite us to trust in the eventual fulfillment, even when the waiting is tough. This trust transforms the waiting period into a space for growth, resilience, and a deeper relationship with God. When we see our circumstances in light of who God is, we shift from a place of fear and anxiety to one of trust and assurance. This shift allows us to see the waiting as a time of preparation and transformation, rather than merely a period of delay. The wait becomes a testament to faith, a living proof of hope that transcends immediate challenges. Enjoy the days at hand, tomorrow will worry about itself. Work and love as you wait. Rejoice that even if all you have is Jesus you have something more than gold.

Kama mvua ishukavyo, toka mbinguni kwenye ardhi

(As the rain pours, from heaven on earth)

Na neno lake kwa kinywa chake, halitarudi bure

(So his words from his mouth, will not return in vain)

Litatimiza mapenzi yake, litatenda alivyo sema

(It will accomplish his will, it will do as he says)

Aliahidi atatenda, mtumainie Bwana

(If he promises he will do it, trust in the Lord)

~ Ahadi Zake (His Promises) by Marion Shako