Promises!

Many years ago, an old and childless man had and encounter with God. Within that encounter, God told the man that he would have a son. The Bible tells us that the man believed God. And so it was that great joy and excitement must have filled his heart. Though some may find this embarrassing to read, I can’t help but imagine that the man immediately ran to his wife in order to do their part to bring the promise to pass. It is likely that several months of exciting passion followed, knowing that each encounter could be the one that would make the promise of God a reality.

How discouraging it must have been for Abraham as he waited for his wife to give him the word that the promise was on the way. Every day he would look to her to see if she was glowing, but each day he only saw her countenance grow dimmer with discouragement.

Though I don’t want to accuse Abraham of thoughts he didn’t have, I can imagine that he quite likely began to question his encounters with God. While I don’t believe that Abraham actually questioned God and His faithfulness, I do believe that it was likely that he questioned himself. I believe that it is likely that he questioned if it was all just a dream. Or maybe he wondered if he misunderstood what God had said. Regardless, I am sure that many discouraging years followed those first few exciting months after the promise was made.

Despite Abraham’s discouragement, God’s plan was still intact. God was not slothful or forgetful, but instead, He knew exactly when He would bring His promise to pass. Though Abraham expected a child immediately, God knew quite well that many years must pass before the time would be right. And so it was that many years later (at least 14 years after the promise was made) a discouraged Abraham and Sarah found themselves holding a fulfilled promise. And though the delay was certainly discouraging, I am sure that it made joy of that moment much greater.

Here I sit to day finding great comfort in this story. It is good to see that God often takes a little longer that we think He will to fulfill a promise.

Nearly four years ago, God opened up his word and taught me something wonderful. He taught me that his Kingdom had entered a new season. However, it wasn’t just any “new season”, but it was the season that would immediately proceed the sounding of the great trumpet that would be the signal for his angels to go and gather His children from the four corners of the earth. This was great news for me, for up until that point, I had no reason to hope that that event was in the near future. But with the understanding He gave me, I was filled with hope and excitement that it could be any day.

This new understanding brought joy, but it also brought a sense of obligation to write and warn others that the window of time in which they could find truth was closing. It was a very exciting time in my life. I felt urgency, and boldness as I had never felt before. I even started a website so I could have an outlet for all I was learning (makewayfortheking.com – no longer on line).

Though God never told me so directly, for various reasons, I came to strongly believe that this great event would happen within three years. If I was right, then that meant that this great event would happen sometime before 2009 was over.

Well, time went by, and our hope didn’t dim. Though the evidence was completely circumstantial (as opposed to scriptural) there was enough of it to make our belief about 2009 being our final year even stronger. Some of this evidence was even quite extraordinary.

Well, as you can see, we are well beyond 2009. And though this year has been good to us, I must admit that I have had moments of discouragement. While I know that my learning about a new and final season was correct, I can’t help but feel at timesl as if God has forgotten about His promise to take us home. For this reason, I am thankful for stories like the one about Abraham. This story is a good reminder that God will keep His promise, but that He will keep it according to His wise time table and not my own.

God is very wise. And despite my discouragement, I can clearly see His wisdom. Though I strongly long to go home, I am very glad that we are still here. Since entering 2010, I have gotten to see my children grow in knowledge and understanding as I never imagined. If He would have taken us home according to my time table, I would have missed seeing this.

So how much longer will we have to walk this earth? I really don’t care to venture a guess. Based upon what He taught me, it has to be fairly soon. But what is soon in regards to a story that has been in motion for 6000 years. For 6000 years this season we are now in has been prophesied about and looked forward to. Is it likely that this season will only last 3-4 years? When put into that perspective, I realize that it could maybe take just a little longer that I originally expected.

Though I don't know how long I will have to walk this road, I do know that I will walk with confidence that my God will keep his promise. I as walk this road, I will continue to examine my heart so that I can fully reflect the son of God through whom I was saved. I will also, continue to diligently lead and teach my family regarding the things that matter most. And occasionally, if time allows, I just may continue to write and proclaim what I know to be true.