A few days ago I emailed Rob Carpenter who is in Spain. He just happened to be at his computer and so I received a reply in a few minutes ... amazing how that works!  What is even more amazing is that when we cry out to God in prayer, He hears our prayer instantly.  How we wish we would have God’s response to answer our prayer in a few minutes!  God is faithful ... His promises are true ... He will answer ... in His time.  That is why to walk by faith is often to trust God patiently.

When Joshua was recounting the history of Israel for their encouragement, God said through Joshua, “Then I took your father Abraham from beyond the River, and led him through all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his descendants and gave him Isaac” [Josh. 24:3].

When we read that, we see the word “multiplied” and we expect to see a list of a dozen or more names immediately following as Abraham’s “multiplied” descendants.  I’m sure that is what Abraham and Sarah expected when God promised descendants as numerous as the stars. Even though God promised multiplied descendants to Abraham, the only multiplication Abraham saw was multiplication by one.  He saw one son ... Isaac.  Abraham had to patiently trust God for greater multiplication in God’s time.

Joshua was speaking to the “multiplied” descendants of Abraham ... so they knew that God had been faithful to His promise ... but it was in God’s time and in God’s way ... not the immediate fashion we all like to see and expect in our own lives.  God is faithful and true ... but we often need patience as He works in our lives and answers our prayers in His time and in His way!

And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you will not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises [Heb. 6:11-12].

Pastor Jim