Tick Tock...Tick Tock

Today, in a series for women, our pastor touched on God's timing and us being willing to surrender, to submit that. It got my wheels turning on the time limits we put on God and the time limits we put on our BELIEF. Pastor referenced Sarah and Abraham and how long Sarah had prayed and asked for a child, probably as early as her twenties. Sarah most likely prayed for decades for a child. SHE WAS 90 when God told her she would have a son!!! Do you think there was some slight disBELIEF there??!!! DUH!! The bible says she laughed. I've made that sarcastic "ha ha", how about you? By human standards, she had every right not to BELIEVE at that point.

So, if Holy Spirit has laid something on our heart to believe in, what's the time limit? When do we start tapping our watch, look toward heaven and say "Allright God. Time's almost up!!" We've all been there. We've all come to points where we had our own time frame for what God asked us to believe for or for what we've asked God to do. We've all looked at circumstances, days, months and years later and thought, "God just isn't going to show up" or "I don't have it in me to believe for this anymore". We all have that friend or loved one that we are believing for to be saved. We've all had a situation or circumstance that drags on, that wears on our faith and dashes our hopes. It is then when we must ask for a renewing of our belief, a restoring of our faith.

Romans 4:18 says, "Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations...". My brother and I were talking the other afternoon, discussing what God had been showing him during his Bible study time. He said that very clearly God had him to write down, "Hope is evident". That drew my memory back to a verse that I had written down and pinned on a small slip of paper on the bulletin board in my office. I had written down the first seven words of Romans 4:18 over 3 years ago. I had completely forgotten about that verse written on a little scrap. EVIDENCE! Cofirmation! Renewed belief and restored hope! It's those small notes, tiny jottings down, momentary snipits that don't let the clock run out on our faith.

A dear friend of mine BELIEVED that her husband would come to the Lord for over three years. She had an unwavering faith, a rock solid belief. God had let her know that her husband would surrender his heart to Jesus. I watched her stand on that BELIEF when it seemed ridiculous. He did come back to the Lord and passed away shortly thereafter. Watching this friend has served as a memory that "shores up" my faith at times when I want to doubt. Who do you know that has exhibited such audacious belief? I would suggest writing that person's name down or even a short memory of the situation that you can quickly turn to at those times when your ladder of belief is feeling a bit shaky.

I have two things that I am believing for right now. Do I want to get out a megaphone and yell toward the clouds, "TICK TOCK...TICK TOCK....GOD!!" Sometimes. Will I give up on God's timing? Never.