Live Your Plan While Waiting

In Genesis 17, God tells Abraham that Sarah will give birth to a son. Abraham fell face down and laughed and said “will the son be born to a man of 100 years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of 90?” God said yes! He didn’t say WHEN but he did say it would happen even though they were older.

Sarah knew that wasn’t how the “routine” works. The routine is that after you are married, you begin to have children right away. Nobody waits till they’re in their 90’s. Her desire to have a baby wasn’t a routine. A routine is a series of actions followed regularly, not necessarily with a goal. What she had was a plan. A plan has a goal. Her goal was to have a baby. A plan is a series of details that will help you meet your goal. The plan was to have a baby in 9 months - when she was young.

Do you have something that you feel God told you would happen? Is it a goal that you know God is going to help you reach? Do you have a prayer that you’re waiting for God to answer? Does it feel like you’re waiting and waiting and waiting? Does it feel like God’s timing is off?

The enemy helps us conclude that because it doesn’t happen right away, when we planned on it happening, it isn’t going to happen so we “help” out. We run on ahead to help God out. We need Him to stick to our timetable and our plan. We do what we think is helping Him out. If it hasn’t happened yet, surely He needs our help! “The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.” Prov. 16:9 You can plan but God‘s plan overrides yours. Don’t rely on your own timing because ultimately God’s timing will overrule your timing.

When God tells us something will happen or we are waiting for an answer to prayer, there isn’t anything harder to do than to wait. “Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord.” Psalm 27:14 I have a prayer I’ve been praying for 18 years now. I haven’t seen an answer. I know though that He told me many years ago that He would answer it. I must admit, at times, I have tried to push an answer by helping God. It never works out.

Sarah’s plan was to handle the long wait by helping God make a different plan and put it into action. She offered another woman to her husband to give him a child. She expected God to follow her plan instead of her following God’s plan. From Sarah‘s human mind, since she was in her 90s and nothing had happened yet, the only solution she could see was for Abraham to give birth to a son from another woman. She helped God along with the plan since she was beyond child-bearing age. She couldn’t see how it could possibly happen otherwise. Her plan didn’t work out either.

In my daily routine of life, I expect every day to be the same and to go as I planned. Every day I get up and worship, pray, read my Bible and write in my journal.  Every day that I spend with Him though, I’m changed. He is changing me daily. When I start the next day with my routine, I think I’m going back to the same place but that same place has changed because I’ve changed. I think my plan is actually a routine, because it’s just daily, regular, moving along through life. Routine is regular; a plan is life changing and working towards a goal.

Change is good for us because it helps us become more flexible, confident and resilient while waiting. We need to be all those things when we’re waiting, especially when the wait is long. Being in the presence of God has changed me. It has changed my routine to a plan. It has changed my flexibility in waiting and my confidence that He will answer in His time. The only time things truly become a monotonous routine is when I haven’t spent real time with Him. Things will not change in a monotonous routine.

Just because we make different choices than God wants, it won’t change what He has planned for us. We will still have to wait. God doesn’t adjust His agenda with what I want to do today. He doesn’t adjust His answer or plan to be answered when I want, how I want. Just because Sarah wanted a baby, He didn’t adjust his timing for her. It isn’t his job to adjust to my routine or my plan or my requests. It’s my job to adjust to Him and His plan. I can’t be so focused on my routine or plan or myself for the day that I become oblivious to God working in suttle ways in my day! Our God is not a monotonous God lacking in variety and amazing ways to bless us as we wait in expectation!

Get something every morning from God before you go out there and start living even while waiting. Live in your routine with your plan BUT expect changes, expect some more waiting, expect confidence, expect flexibility, expect God!

Sometimes, when we run ahead of God, we trample on God’s purpose and plan for our lives. We’re trying so hard to get to our plan, the answers we want to prayer, and the timing we want. Don’t ever be in such a hurry that you trample on the great plan God has for your life. Waiting is sometimes the best thing for you, even if it seems hopeless. Don’t hurry to get to your routine or plan. God moves forward at His own pace. He makes us wait and wait and wait. “Delays of promised mercies, though they exercise our patience, do not weaken God’s promise. When God makes a promise, He will follow through even if it does not happen right away, and you have to wait.” (Matthew Henry) When we do finally see the answer that we waited so long for, it is a much greater blessing and joy.

The longer we go without an answer or an explanation that He makes us wait for and something that is unexpected; the longer the memory will last and bless us. You will remember that answer forever. Your faith and confidence will grow when you take your eyes off yourself, your unanswered prayers and goals not met. For Him, nothing is impossible! “He who began a good work in your will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” Phil. 1:6

Wait. God will accomplish all of His purposes and plan for your life. Period!!

“They who wait for the Lord shall RENEW their strength…” Isaiah 40:31

“For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end-it will NOT lie. IF it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay!”