Focus On The Promise

Then Abraham bowed down to the ground, but he laughed to himself in disbelief. “How could I become a father at the age of 100?” he thought. “And how can Sarah have a baby when she is ninety years old?” So Abraham said to God, “May Ishmael live under your special blessing!” But God replied, “No—Sarah, your wife, will give birth to a son for you. You will name him Isaac, and I will confirm my covenant with him and his descendants as an everlasting covenant. [Genesis 17.17-19]

It occurs to me, through the passage above, that God sometimes just does what He is going to do whether we ever make sense of it or not.

Abram had received the promise of a son from God about 13 years earlier. He took matters in his own hands and Ishmael was born. Abram knew by the time 13 more years had passed that his ability to bear another child was likely "not." Likewise, he knew Sarai was in the same shape he was in.

13 years... and physical circumstances would certainly support the thought that Abram would not be having another child. But God...

There it is. No matter what circumstances say to us, we need to first consider what God has said to us. Regardless how long it takes in our eyes, God will be true to His Word.

We need to avoid however becoming content with "less-than-what-God-said." We need to avoid what Abram said, “May Ishmael live under your special blessing!” - In other words, we need to scrap the idea that God wants to bless our mess! He WILL bless our mess (as He said and did with Ishmael), but when we become content with the mess we have made over the promise of God, then we have crossed the line.

Yes, God will bless our mess, but we must keep our focus on the promise!

Father, I have made my share of messes. Help me to focus though on what Your plan is - not my messes. Help me to constantly seek You and Your will first and not settle for my messes.