Abraham...

In the twenty-five years that he had to wait for the birth of Isaac, Abraham must've cried out to the Lord for help in waiting. How could he not? The Lord told him on multiple occasions that his offspring would be numerous and inherit the land of the Canaanites, but after ten or so years, he still had no children. His faith wavered, Ishmael was born, and then another twelve years went by before Isaac, the son of promise was born. We know that Abraham wasn't perfect in his faith and that there were times he failed, but the Lord still had a plan for him that included amazing blessings.

It's the period of waiting that I wonder about. What were his conversations with the Lord like? Did he cry out in distress, wondering if the Lord was ever going to bless him? Did the Lord really have a plan for his life? There are times when I cry out like Jabez did, "Oh Lord, bless me!"

Now I know that the Lord has blessed me, but sometimes in the middle of circumstances, when the going gets tough, it is hard to see many blessings. After a couple of months of not feeling well, I find my exhaustion level getting worse and my patience running out. My emotions easily get out of whack and its sometimes hard to keep a proper perspective on things. As I read through Abraham's life, it is encouraging to see that he wasn't perfect; that when the going got tough, many times he did fail and make a mess of things. It is humbling as well, that the Lord still blessed him in spite of his failures. So Lord help me, because I surely need your mercy and grace.