Are You Tired of Waiting?

Lauren Hamby

As a student, I really liked taking tests. It was my chance to show off for the teacher. I got to show them I had paid attention and learned the lesson they had been teaching. I especially loved fill-in-the-blank tests! They were way more challenging than multiple choice tests.

Fill In The Blanks

Recently, the Lord gave me a fill-in-the-blank test that, I must admit, I didn’t like. While reading through the book of Romans, I came across these verses in chapter 4 about Abraham and his faith: “Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations… Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead… and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. Yet, he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what He had promised” (Romans 4:18-21). 

When I read these verses, I was struggling to trust that God keeps His promises. As a 30-something single lady, I found it hard to believe God had a good plan for me. Just as God told Abraham he would be the father of many nations, I had once believed God had promised good things for my future. However, after years of waiting on God to move, that belief diminished and my faith became faulty. I no longer believed God cared about this area of my life. You may know what I mean—you have been waiting for God to fulfill His promise to save a loved one, or you’re waiting for God to provide a husband or a child, or maybe you’re waiting for God to show up financially.

Hope In The Face of “Impossible”

Here, in the middle of my waiting and despite my wavering faith, God gave me a pop quiz and told me to fill in the blanks. Just as Abraham had to face the facts that made God showing up seem unlikely, so did I. Abraham had good reasons to doubt God’s promise. Every circumstance surrounding the situation screamed that God coming through was impossible. However, Abraham “in hope believed.”

So the Lord had me put my specific situation into these verses:  “…Without weakening in her faith, she faced the fact that she’s been single for a long time and that there are no godly single guys currently in her life. Yet, she did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God…being fully persuaded that God had the power to do what He had promised.”

It doesn’t really matter what your blanks are. Our God is faithful, and we can count on Him to keep His promises — even if our situation seems impossible. God loves working in the middle of "impossible" circumstances. Just like Abraham, our circumstances may point against everything God says is true. But God is Lord over our circumstances and shows up in perfect time.