Twenty-five long, drawn-out years. More than three hundred months. Thirteen hundred weeks of waiting. Nine thousand one hundred and twenty-five days of a long process before the promise. This is the time that the father of faith, Abraham, and his wife Sarah had to wait before God's promise was fulfilled in their lives.

This is the gap between Genesis 12:4, the time of the announcement, and today's passage, the time of fulfillment.

We have the privilege of being able to read Abraham's story in one sitting. He and Sarah had to live by faith day after day, waking up for nine thousand mornings, training themselves to trust! The couple kept this promise, waiting for God's word to be fulfilled, while waiting with outstretched hands and Sarah's barren womb.

Abraham is known for several qualities: the father of many nations, the father of faith, and the one who was blessed to be a blessing.

Abraham was a man in the process of waiting. As each decade progressed at a faster rate, he looked at Sarah's strands of silver hair and weakened body, kept waiting, and refused to waver in waiting.

Reading history with speculative eyes, we might be tempted to ask God, "Why didn't He bring Isaac sooner?" Why did God take so long to fulfill His promise? Twenty-five years of waiting cannot be anything good for one's own well-being.

However, God's plan for Abraham, like His plan for us, is often an invitation to wait in the right way, God's way. Before circumstances change, there is often a change first in our hearts.

Maybe you're waiting for a promise to be fulfilled and wishing for your situation to change. Many of us walk with the womb of hope, eager to give birth to life. Perhaps your prayer practice was once a window through which you could peer out and expectantly observe what the Lord would do, but, while you wait, it has become a wall.

Even if your perspective seems bleak, even if the heavens seem blocked and closed, you can decide to show Jesus your face, even if you feel that he hides his.

Today, look back and acknowledge God's faithfulness in the past. Fix your eyes on the cross and allow God to reveal Himself in your present as you walk forward in faith, one step at a time!

Suggested Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus, when I go through deserts, times of waiting, and drought, I confess that I feel barren and empty of blessings. However, I know that I am blessed in abundance, and I ask you with all my heart to show me how to renew my perspective in times of waiting, and remember all the promises you have made to my life, so that your beautiful presence will help me restore my trust in you. I pray in the precious name of Jesus, Amen.

1. Genesis 21:1-3 (NVI).

Today's Encounter was written by: Rosina N.