How are you waiting?
Anchor Scripture for September 10
The hope of the [uncompromisingly] righteous (the upright, in right standing with God) is gladness, but the expectation of the wicked
(those who are out of harmony with God) comes to nothing. - Proverbs 10:28 AMPC
Scriptures
Hebrews 11
Numbers 23:19 NLT
The idea of faith can be one of the simplest yet hardest concepts to grasp as it is foundational to our relationship with God and even our quality of life. When seeking God about this month, the story of Abraham in Hebrews 11 came to the forefront.
There were 5 points that I pulled from Abraham’s story
God is not obligated to fulfill a promise on my preferred timeline
Entitlement has to be put to death to avoid the temptation of manufacturing my own promises
Faith in God and in His character is what will keep my expectations pure
God doesn’t “owe” me anything
Guard your heart
Abraham
Hebrews 11 is known as the chapter with the greatest examples of faith throughout the Bible. The story particularly highlighted to me this month was of Abraham, also known as the father of faith. Interestingly, it wasn’t Abraham’s initial leap of faith (leaving his father and mother’s house to go to an unknown destination - Hebrews 11:8-9) that was highlighted, but specifically when scripture mentions the testing of his faith (from Genesis 22). Hebrews 11:17-19 ERV says:
“God tested Abraham’s faith. God told him to offer Isaac as a sacrifice. Abraham obeyed because he had faith. He already had the promises from God. And God had already said to him, “It is through Isaac that your descendants will come.” But Abraham was ready to offer his only son. He did this because he had faith. He believed that God could raise people from death. And really, when God stopped Abraham from killing Isaac, it was as if he got him back from death.”
I believe that at this point, Abraham had to have been void of any entitlement and self-righteousness in order to have been obedient to God’s request. Logically, if the promise was that descendants would come from Issac, who at the time was still still young and unmarried, and that promise hadn’t been fulfilled, why would it make sense to cut his life short? Abraham truly trusted God and His promise that he was ready to go through with the sacrifice anyway because he knew God would rectify the situation.
If Abraham had a sense of self-righteousness and entitlement, I believe that when God asked him to “give the promise back” and sacrifice his son, some of his responses would have been along the lines of: “I waited 25 years for this child, how is that fair to take him?” or “I prayed for the barren women in the land when I didn’t have a child of my own and now I have to give him up (Genesis 20:17)?” These both feel like valid arguments and points to make, but they would have been rooted in entitlement.
We saw it with Sarah shortly after the promise of a son was revealed to Abraham (Abram):
“But Abram replied, “O Sovereign Lord, what good are all your blessings when I don’t even have a son? Since you’ve given me no children, Eliezer of Damascus, a servant in my household, will inherit all my wealth. You have given me no descendants of my own, so one of my servants will be my heir.” Then the Lord said to him, “No, your servant will not be your heir, for you will have a son of your own who will be your heir.” - Genesis 15:2-4 NLT
“Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had not been able to bear children for him. But she had an Egyptian servant named Hagar. So Sarai said to Abram, “The Lord has prevented me from having children. Go and sleep with my servant. Perhaps I can have children through her.” And Abram agreed with Sarai’s proposal.” - Genesis 16:1-2 NLT
Redemption
There’s something to be said about how even though Abraham’s initial start was messy and the choices he and Sarah made weren’t perfect, God still redeemed it and gave them their promised son (Ishmael - Abraham’s first son still received a separate blessing). Even though Abraham had his first son prematurely, Ishmael, at 86-years-old, God didn’t speed up his and Sarah’s timeline and give them their promised son the following year, nor did he purposely delay it. Even after their entitlement and haste and dealing with the consequences of their actions, they still had to wait for the actual promised child. Issac. Abraham even tried to reason with God to have the blessing put on Ishmael (their manufactured promise) and it did not work. The appointed time was still for God to show up when Abraham was 99-years-old, release the prophetic word to them one year in advance and for their promised son to be born when Abraham was 100-years-old.
Romans 4:1-5 NLT says
“Abraham was, humanly speaking, the founder of our Jewish nation. What did he discover about being made right with God? 2 If his good deeds had made him acceptable to God, he would have had something to boast about. But that was not God’s way. 3 For the Scriptures tell us, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” 4 When people work, their wages are not a gift, but something they have earned. 5 But people are counted as righteous, not because of their work, but because of their faith in God who forgives sinners.”
Entitlement vs Expectation vs Pride
Expectation: “the act or state of looking forward or anticipating” (or to look out for, await)
Entitlement: “the unjustified assumption that one has a right to certain advantages, preferential treatment, etc”
Pride: “A high, esp. an excessively high, opinion of one's own worth or importance which gives rise to a feeling or attitude of superiority over others; inordinate self-esteem.”
Examples where entitlement/pride can show up in our thoughts or speech:
God, I thought if I did XYZ, ABC would happen. Why didn’t it?
I didn't have to do XYZ.
After all of this?
I’ve done everything right (praying, fasting, reading my word) and yet XYZ still hasn’t happened
Since you won’t or didn’t do XYZ, i’ll just do ABC.
This revelation was definitely not the easiest to digest and receive, but it was a much needed heart check to make sure that we are waiting well. As Hebrews 11:6 says;
“6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”
So if you are waiting on God to fulfill a promise or are becoming frustrated with God and His timing, take time to check your heart that your expectation is not rooted in entitlement, but genuine faith in God as entitlement can very easily breed pride. God is never in a rush, so remember to realign your timing with his.
Assignment
Today, identify the promises you’ve received from God and what your expectations are rooted in. Pray accordingly to how you are currently feeling as you wait for the manifestation of those promises (are you weary, nervous, frustrated etc). Also begin to identify the voice of entitlement and pride and cast it down!