Genesis 21:1-7
And the LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did unto Sarah as he had spoken. For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him. And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac. And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac being eight days old, as God had commanded him. And Abraham was an hundred years old, when his son Isaac was born unto him. And Sarah said, God hath made me to laugh, so that all that hear will laugh with me. And she said, Who would have said unto Abraham, that Sarah should have given children suck? for I have born him a son in his old age.

Years earlier, Abraham and Sarah had tried to produce a son in their way and in their time. The result was Ishmael, but he was not the son of promise. That was not what God had planned for them. And that situation had actually brought difficulties and added challenges for them to navigate.

But here is Isaac, given to Sarah and Abraham in God’s way and God’s time. Isaac was the fulfillment of the promise. Isaac was Sarah’s natural-born son, even though that should have been impossible. And Isaac brought a joy to their lives and glorified God, as he was a true blessing from the Lord. This situation turned out so differently for them than when they had stepped outside of what God had for them.

We need both God’s will and God’s timing. If we step outside of either, we invite something less than His best into our lives. Sometimes we may miss completely what it is that He has for us. Other times we do get to experience the great blessing and fulfillment of His plan for our lives and what He wants to do through us. Are we willing, then, to seek God’s will? And are we willing to wait on His timing instead of trying to force something to happen ourselves? If we do, we will be blessed beyond anything we could have accomplished in our way and our time.