Then the word of the Lord came to him: “This man will not be your heir, but a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir.” He took him outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.

Genesis 15:4-6

Throughout the Bible we are told of Abraham’s faith and trust in God’s promises and it is interesting to note that the faith of Abraham directly follows the promise of a son, but what happens when your faith wavers in the moment?

When the LORD’s promise didn’t come right away, it was decided that the family should help God out a bit –

And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai. So, after Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her servant, and gave her to Abram her husband as a wife.

Genesis 16:2-3

Abraham and Sarah complicated their lives and still failed to fulfill God’s promise, but although they had to deal with the consequences of those actions, God still eventually fulfilled his promise through the birth of Isaac.

Isn’t it amazing that the Bible includes the failures of some of the great characters of the Faith? Abraham learned the importance of waiting and believing God’s word – a lesson we should learn as well.

Can you think of a time when you took matters into your own hands? How did that work out?