Have you ever been reading in the Bible and had a simple one sentence verse stand out and speak to you? It’s what tends to happen to me frequently. God uses His word to speak to our hearts all the time, but I still find it amazing how one simple verse can paint a picture in my mind and speak to the season of life I’m living in. This was the case for me while reading in Genesis.
Genesis 18:1. It says Then the Lord appeared to him (Abraham) by the Terebinth trees of Mamre, as he was sitting in the tent door in the heat of the day. What led up to this meeting in the middle of the day for Abraham? In Chapter 17 we read that Abraham had heard from God concerning Abraham’s future and the Covenant God was making with him and all his descendants. The command of God was for every male in Abraham’s tribe to be circumcised. This would be a sign of Abraham’s covenant with God and His people who would be set apart by God and for God. It is a beautiful interaction between God and Abraham. Verse 26 of Chapter 17 says the very same day Abraham heard from God was the day he obeyed God’s command and circumcised every male. He was quick to act on the Word of God. (this is noteworthy)
Abraham’s obedience in Chapter 17 set him up for the the holy visitation in chapter 18. This visitaion would bring the proclimation of the promised heir to Abraham and in the fullness of time, the great nation of God. Sometimes I wonder if there are blessings of God which are held back from our lives due to our disobedience and lack of action in faith. (Duet 28:1 speaks to this thought. God blesses obedience).
Going back to Chapter 18:1- Abraham sitting at his tent door in the heat of the day…still and quiet. I’m sure there were times he pondered in his heart the Words of the Lord. I’m sure he wondered how it could be. Looking at things in the natural, it was impossible and yet God promised. Was he pondering such things that day as he sat in the doorway of his tent? The word doesn’t say, but I would venture to say in the stillness of midday his mind was probably on a lot of things, including the promise of a the great nation that would come.
Waiting on God for answers can be a lonely season. There have been many times in my life when I’ve waited for God to show up with an answer or word of revelation, I’ve spent many hours sitting in the tent door so to speak, as Abaraham did that day. Alone, watching and wating. I know you’ve been there too. Maybe you’re there now. Remember, sometimes when we least expect it, in the heat of the moment, when we’re all alone, God shows up.
When we’ve done all we know to do and still don’t see the answer, when we’ve been obedient to the call and when we’ve done our best and when it still seems mpossible, that’s usually when we whisper within our hearts, when God? We must tell our hearts in the waiting, He will come. Genesis 18:14 says “Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a a son”.
Is anything too hard for the Lord? I know the answer is a resounding NO! No matter how impossible your situation may seem to you today, no matter how discouraged you may feel, look up friend, don’t stop believing, because in the fullness of time, at your appointed time, God will bring the answer just as He did for Abraham.
Q-Versations 