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He is--He is hanging here on this gallows.." Elie Wiesels God died with 1 his hope that night. We must appreciate the importance of hope. So difficult to hang on to when God is late or moves in a way that we dont anticipate. Three things about God I have discovered in my study of the life of faith in Abraham: 1. God Works on His Schedule In your life sometimes seems Where is God? Never late. Seldom early. Doesnt help to look for models. Other people. Deals with each one differently. This is the only time in all the Bible it happened like this. 2. Gods Schedule Includes Your Problems Dont we do that. More difficult to believe in the God of the daily life than ElShaddai. But ElShaddai is the God of the daily grind. Has a plan. 3. Our Response in the Meantime must be Hope. Psalm 42:5 Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him For the help of His presence. We see this clearly in Abraham in Genesis 17.
Verse 2 Reminds Abram of What He would do. No conjunction here. Not and. Not a conditional covenant. Grace is unmerited. The walk is our responsibility not our attempt at earning his favor. Verse 3 Abrams response is worship. What would your response have been? Bitter. Anger. Complaints. Lord, Ive heard this song and dance before. Show me the Baby! Where does a man muster the will to worship the One who to this point has so deeply disappointed him? Those who Walk by Faith, Live by Hope. And that is what attracted God to this man in the first place. PS 33:18 Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him, On those who hope for His lovingkindness, Our hope is not conditional. Not dependent on deadlines and agendas.
Catch the humor in this. 99 year old Abraham has to go back into the house and explain to all of those adult servants and kin that God told him to do this and they had to participate! Let me get this straight. You want to do what to me with that sharp knife?! But the great humor is the name. Abraham. Father of many. At 99! Hope is scandalous sometimes. Because it doesnt make sense. Naming a 99 year old man married to an eighty something year old woman does not make sense. Verse 15 specific to Sarai. Sarai to Sarah. Name change. Sarai my princess. Belonged to her father. The man who named her. Sarah, princess, general. Belong to the ages. Become the mother of the royal family. Heirs to the kingdom. God is subtle. Verse 17 Abrahams response. He laughed. Laughter of disbelief. Said in his heart. Knew she had been through menopause. No way. God said OK name him Isaac, He laughs. ON the surface He refers to Abraham. No, it is a reference to God. Will see later that Sarah laughed when she heard. Abraham laughed, Sarah laughed, God laughs. He who laughs last laughs best. Point: When God tells you something you accept it despite the ramifications.
Tell me that God doesnt have a great sense of humor. Whats wrong with you and your men? You did what? You think that you are going to be the father of many. Following God is often scandalous. Cannot get too concerned with what everyone else is thinking.
So I was wondering what Jack would want. Merle knocked at the door. Jack was sitting in the car. I went our. Jack had watched TV and come under conviction. He wanted to be saved. I led him in a sinners prayer in our driveway. Jack was a changed man. Merle was in tears. One year later Jack developed Alzheimers and started an irreversible descent into darkness. Every time I talked to Merle she thanked God for what he did before it was too late. 35 years of hope.