Genesis 21:2
For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him.

We can be so impatient in our lives. Our longings to receive the promises of God can sometimes threaten to overwhelm us. But God has a set time for all of His purposes, and no amount of impatience can bring them to pass any sooner. Abraham knew he would be a father of many nations, but he did not bare his son until his old age. He waited almost his entire lifetime for that moment of holding the son that God promised him.

It’s good for us to remember that God often operates on a completely different time scale than we do. Perhaps we feel the brevity of life and fear missing out on something. But God knows much more about perfect timing than we could ever even guess. And when we wait patiently for His timing, we often see that what He has for us was worth waiting for.

Let’s not rush ahead of God and try to do things our way. That often leads us down a troublesome path, perhaps even into trouble that takes time to sort out and causes us to have to wait even longer for what we were seeking. Though it may seem like the time may never come, God’s set time is always right on time.

Whatever it is we’ve been waiting for, longing for, begging God for—a child, a job, a home, healing, deliverance—let’s remember that God is ultimately in control of our lives and the when, where and how things will happen. And if we want God’s best for us and not some cheap imitation that we try to manufacture on our own, then we have no choice but to place that desire completely in His hands. His set time will come.

Sarah and Abraham’s journey to parenthood tested their faith. They’d come so far from their homeland and trusted God for many things along the way. He’d guided them from one place to another and blessed them abundantly. But sometimes the hardest time to trust God is when there is nothing to do but wait. We may try to keep busy to make ourselves feel like we’re getting somewhere. But if we can endure with patience, God’s set time will come, and the blessing will come. And in those moments our faith can grow when we see God work in a special way to give us more than we could have hoped for.