The Faithfulness of God

“And thus Abraham, having patiently waited, obtained the promise” (Hebrews 6:15).

Over the years, the topic of waiting has come up frequently on the pages of this blog. There’s a reason for that. You see, you and I will never cease to find ourselves in seasons of waiting; and as I’ve said before, we don’t wait well, do we?

Well, as I meditated on the above verse this past week, I tried to put myself in Abraham’s place. As you know, God promised him a son, a land and a people. He was able to see the fulfillment of the first part of that promise in his lifetime. Yet the final parts of the promise (a land and a people) he never completely saw before he died. Thus, his wait was never rewarded with seeing the promises fulfilled. Yet in spite of not seeing firsthand the fulfillment of God’s promises, we read that “Abraham believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness.”

Here is what I take away from that observation. God’s faithfulness to his promises must never be gauged by whether we see the promise fulfilled or not. In other words, he is equally faithful regardless of the timing. That can be hard to swallow at times, and for this reason. I talk to people on a regular basis that are trusting in God’s promises. Their faith is not the issue. They truly believe that God will fulfill that which he has promised. Yet their faith is stretched when they are presented with the thought that the fulfillment of God’s promises may not be realized in their lifetime. That’s tough.

Let me give you several examples. I know people who have been praying for decades for family members who do not know Christ as their Savior. In some instances, (years after they are gone) the one they prayed for came to faith in Christ.  I know others who have been praying for years for ministry situations of one type or another. It’s said that two women prayed for the nation of Laos for 80 years before the gospel reached the most remote parts of that country. Both of those examples (and many more) make it plain that the faithfulness of God is not defined by the timing of his actions. Let me repeat that; the faithfulness of God is not defined by the timing of his actions.

In that light, let me ask you this question. What have you been praying for over the past year? What have you been praying for over the past decade or longer? From your perspective, has God been slow to respond? If that describes you to any degree, I have a word of encouragement for you. The Apostle Peter put it best; “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some counts slowness.”

Friend, God is faithful to his promises. You may not see it, but that does not change his faithfulness. Just like Abraham, may your trust in the faithfulness of God be counted to you as righteousness.