UNCOMMEN: On The Waiting ListParaugs

Timeline Interruption

We are continuing our series on the crucial aspects of waiting for the right woman to come into your life. In our last lesson, we touched on the fact that while we wait, we should always be improving on ourselves, learning new skills, taking up hobbies, and finding our purpose in Christ. 

Today, we pick up the study in Genesis 18. God has made a covenant with Abraham to have all nations pass through his offspring. At this point in the chapter, three men approach Abraham and are speaking with him. 

"Then one of them said, "I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son."

Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him. 11 Abraham and Sarah were already very old, and Sarah was past the age of childbearing. 12 So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, "After I am worn out and my lord is old, will I now have this pleasure?" — Genesis 18:10-12

I know that when I was single for 20 years, I felt like I was in a similar state of disbelief. I was surrounded by people who either had found their soul mate, were engaged, or, in some cases, married. I felt like I was missing something. How was it, that everyone else was finding someone, and I was still just trying to find my first girlfriend? How was that fair? 

I am sure that I'm not alone in this feeling. I am sure many of you can relate to that situation. Even in the story, while it's a different kind of waiting, Sarah was angry at others around her, like Hagar, who was able to have kids and she was left waiting and wondering when her time would come. 

I can tell you that I am glad that God held back my soul mate from me when I was at that point in my life, at least in my own experience. I don't think it would have been healthy for me. I had come to idolize the idea of a girlfriend so much that the focus had switched from trying to find someone to glorify God with, to just trying to find someone that I could label with the term girlfriend. I can't say that I know if that was the reason that God waited to give Sarah a child, but I would like to think that God chose to bless Sarah later in life for two reasons. One to show the limitlessness of His power, proving that nothing is outside of His control. The other to humble her and prepare her for the journey. So are you ready to wait through the disbelief?

Questions:

1. Are you idolizing a potential girlfriend, fiancé, or even your wife above your relationship with God?

2. Have you come to peace with the timeline God has in place for you in finding your soulmate? 

Challenge: 

Take time to refocus your efforts on your relationship with God, making Him the focus of your life, and not a significant other. If you are engaged or married, have a conversation with your significant other about ways you can both turn your focus to God.

Scripture Verses:
Genesis 16:1-2
Genesis 18:1-15