Good morning. I hate to ask you this, but would you mind waiting just a moment? Before I preach, I need to do something. So I’m going to have to ask you to wait while I do it.
You see, I just remembered that tomorrow is the birthday of a good friend. And I need to get something in the mail to my friend. I’m afraid if I don’t do it right now, I’ll forget to do it tomorrow. So, I’m going to use my phone to order a present for my friend. I’m going to open my Amazon.com app. Raise your hand if you’ve ever ordered anything from Amazon.com.
209 million people use this retailer regularly. Did you know that in some cases, from the time you click “buy” to the time Amazon ships your item out, it may only take twenty minutes? On any day when the mail runs, after I select an item and click “buy” it may take only twenty minutes before Amazon’s got it in the mail.
My family even uses a “Subscribe” feature for items which we use a lot of, like peanut butter. Anybody else have someone at home whose primary food group is peanut butter? We go through so much peanut butter that we don’t like to have to take the time to go online and place an order when the last peanut butter jar is almost empty. So we actually subscribe to peanut butter. Amazon sends us the next peanut butter shipment automatically.
And, with our Prime Membership, we get free two-day shipping on almost everything we buy. We don’t have to wait a week to get what we ordered.
Amazon also has 40,000 streaming Instant Videos that we can watch immediately. They don’t have to be purchased. They don’t have to be downloaded. They can be watched instantly at home or on a mobile device.
Amazon has giant fulfillment centers—warehouses—all over the country filled with the products they sell. That way the products can get from a nearby fulfillment center to me or those I’m sending them to very quickly. I read recently that Amazon’s goal is to be able to send every item they have using one-day shipping. Order anything and it’s in your hands the day your order it. (Fast Company “The Race Has Just Begun,” J. J. McCorvey, 67-76, Sept. 2013).
Amazon’s business model is built on one reality: People dislike delay. We don’t like to wait for the preacher to get into his message. We don’t like to wait for a package to arrive. We don’t like it when the airport announces that our flight has been delayed. We don’t like it when a teacher is late to class. We don’t like it when the movie doesn’t start on time. We don’t like it when weather delays the game. We don’t like having to drive long distances to get someplace. We don’t like waiting for graduation or birthdays or Christmas. We hate traffic jams, long lines, being put on hold, and long-winded speakers. We dislike delay.
But there is one thing we dislike even more than delay: divine delay. If we dislike delay in general, we deeply dislike divine delay. There’s nothing worse than having to wait for God to do something he should have done a long time ago. There’s nothing worse than asking God to do something for us or for someone we love and having to wait and wait and wait for God to answer that prayer. There’s nothing worse than reading promises in the Bible about what God’s going to do for those who follow him and having to wait for those promises to be fulfilled. If Amazon can fulfill our wishes in two days or less, why can’t God?
Eric and I are in the middle of a series called “Scary Stories from Sunday School.” We are taking a look at some of the stories in Genesis that are sometimes ignored in typical Sunday School classes or, if they are covered, they are covered in a superficial way. When you take a hard look at them, however, they can be downright scary.
Last Sunday, today, and next Sunday we are exploring the story of a man named Abraham. Abraham’s story is often taught in children’s Sunday School. He’s one of the most well-known characters in the Bible. Here’s the impact Abraham has throughout Scripture:
1. 12 times the Old Testament calls God the “God of Abraham.”
2. Jesus speaks of Abraham about 20 times in the Gospels.
3. Outside of Genesis, where Abraham’s story is told, Abraham is mentioned an additional 42 times throughout the Old Testament.
4. Abraham is mentioned 69 times in the New Testament.
Abraham is one of the most well-known figures in the Bible. And, it turns out that some scary things were done by Abraham–Eric pointed out one of those last Sunday. It also turns out that some scary things were done to Abraham. One of the scariest had to do with this issue of divine delay.
Early on, when we first meet Abraham (he’s also called Abram) and his wife Sarah (who’s also called Sarai), things are not good. Gen. 11 ends with this description of Sarah: “Now Sarai was barren; she had no child” (Gen. 11:30 ESV). Their situation can be described in that one word: “barren.”
That’s a situation many of us know. Some of us have literally been barren. We’ve been unable to conceive. We’ve been unable to have the child we wanted.
But even more of us have been barren in other ways. We’ve been financially barren. Unable to make ends meet. Unable to get out of debt.
Or we’ve been relationally barren. Unable to find a faithful friend. Unable to find a soul mate. Unable to reconcile with that estranged child.
Or we’ve been emotionally barren. Struggling with depression. Overcome by anxiety.
Many of us know what it’s like to live in a place called barren. It’s a scary place, isn’t it? It was a scary place for Abraham and Sarah.
But then God makes an unexpected and welcome promise in Gen. 12:
1Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (Gen. 12:1-3 ESV).
God promises to move Abraham and Sarah to a new land. But he’s not only going to relocate them geographically. But he’s also going to relocate them circumstantially. God’s going to relocate them from the land called “barren” to the land called “blessed.” From this couple with no child God’s going to create an entire nation. God will bless Abraham and Sarah with so many children that they populate part of the planet. And these children, and the nation they form, will bless the rest of the world. God makes a promise here to move Abraham and Sarah from barren to blessed.
And, in a way, this is the promise God makes again and again in Scripture. One way to summarize the story of the Bible is that it’s the story of a God who promises to move people from barren to blessed; a God who promises to provide courage where there is concern; salve where there is suffering; triumph where there is tragedy; plenty where there is poverty; justice where there is injustice; beauty where there is brokenness; accord where there is anger; and hope where there is hopelessness. That is the story of the Bible. What we see in this move from the end of Gen. 11 to the beginning of Gen. 12 is the move God promises for all those who follow him–the move from barren to blessed.
But what we find out is that God’s delivery time is underwhelming. Three chapters after this beautiful promise, there’s no fulfillment. Abraham and Sarah have relocated, as God required. They’ve changed geographically. But nothing’s changed circumstantially. They have changed zip codes. But they can’t seem to leave the town of “barren.” The stork hasn’t arrived. The pregnancy test is still negative. There’s been a divine delay. Abraham’s been put on hold. Sarah is still stuck in the land of barren.
And how does Abraham react? We get an earful in Gen. 15:
15 After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” 2 But Abram said, “O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.” (Gen. 15:1-3 ESV)
Abraham gives God an earful. We see two responses from him. The first one is fear. God tells Abraham, “Fear not…” Why does God tell him that? It must be because Abraham is full of fear. As Abraham (and Sarah) lingers in this land of barren, not knowing how much longer it’s going to take for God to do what God said he would do, Abraham is scared. He’s frightened. The future is dim. He’s not sure God’s going to pull through. He responds with fear.
But he also responds with frustration, doesn’t he? “O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus? Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir” (Gen. 15:2-3 ESV). Commentators don’t agree on who Abraham is referring to here. He seems to be pointing out a servant named Eliezer who was part of Abraham’s household. There is some evidence from the ancient world that servants like this could be adopted. They would then provide care for their masters. And upon their master’s death, they would inherit part of the master’s property. Abraham isn’t necessarily saying that he’s adopted Eliezer already. It’s just that, in frustration, he says to God, “You’ve given me no child. It looks like the only person who’s going to be around by the time we die is this servant. You expect me to give everything to him? Is he the fulfillment of your promise?” Abraham reacts to this divine delay with frustration.
And these are often the very same emotions we experience. We often experience fear and frustration during divine delay.
I spoke recently with someone who’s struggling with finances. She said, “I pray for God to provide for my needs. And I remember what Jesus said, that we should not worry about what we are going to wear or going to eat. I remember God’s promise—that he’s going to feed me and clothe me. But why don’t I see God answering my prayer? Why does it take God so long fulfill his promise to take care of me?” That’s a question a lot of us could ask.
Why is it taking God so long to bring back that wayward family member into the family of faith? It’s frustrating. And it’s fearful.
Why is it taking God so long to help me overcome my addiction to some sin? It’s frustrating. And it’s fearful.
Why is it taking God so long to open the door to that job or that career or that school? It’s frustrating. And it’s fearful.
In fact, Abraham has to wait another 25 years. It’s 25 years before Abraham and Sarah finally have a child.
Imagine enduring 25 years for peace to come and end some conflict in your life. Imagine enduring 25 years for justice to finally be served in some area of your life. It can be frustrating and fearful to endure divine delay.
But notice the most surprising part of this story:
4 And behold, the word of the Lord came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.” 5 And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” 6 And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness. (Gen. 15:4-6 ESV).
Abraham not only experienced fear and frustration during divine delay. In the end, he expressed faith. Having faith does not mean you never have fear. Having faith does not mean you never have frustration. If there’s one thing that Abraham’s story teaches us, it’s that faith is not some impossible standard that no one can reach. You can faith and still struggle with fear. You can have faith and still struggle with frustration. But what Abraham does show is that fear and frustration do not have to be the emotions that dominate us in divine delay. We can have faith. We can believe in what seems to be unbelievable.
Abraham’s willingness to do this was so inspiring that thousands of years later Paul and James would write about it in the New Testament. Both Paul and James would point to this moment in Abraham’s life as the ultimate model of what biblical faith is all about. Biblical faith is not about the absence of fear. It’s not about the absence of frustration. Its simply about having faith in God, even when there’s some fear and frustration, and believing that God will eventually do what he said he would do.
And, this wasn’t flawless faith. Notice what happens just one chapter later. Sarah gives up on God, tells Abraham that God’s never going to fulfill his promise, and persuades Abraham to sleep with her servant so they can finally have a child. And Abraham goes along with it. This is not a flawless faith here.
But this flawed faith seemed to be all that God needed. All God needed from Abraham was some willingness to hang in there, to stick with it, to trust in God even in the midst of delay.
And this is what we’ve all been called to. It is the unrelenting call of the Psalms
• Psalm 25:5 – Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.
• Psalm 27:14-Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!
• Psalm 31:24-Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the Lord!
• Psalm 37:7-Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him
• Psalm 38:15-But for you, O Lord, do I wait; it is you, O Lord my God, who will answer.
• Psalm 62:5-For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him.
• Psalm 130:5-I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope;
One of the greatest practices to which we’ve been called is the practice of faithful waiting. Divine delay is so common, so much the norm, that what we’ve been called to is faithful waiting.
But how do we do this? How did Abraham go from the fear and frustration of Gen. 15:1-3 to the faith of Gen. 15:6? Listen once more to the account in Genesis:
5 And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” 6 And he believed the Lord… (Gen. 15:4-6 ESV).
One thing happened between Abraham’s fear and frustration, and Abraham’s faith—God brought him outside and showed him the stars. And somehow this image of the stars led Abraham to faith.
Pointing to the stars becomes a habit of God’s. Again and again God will make reference to this scene.
• Genesis 22:17 – I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven…
• Genesis 26:4-I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven…
God drew his people repeatedly back to this image of stars. Something about the stars was able to generate faith. Something about the stars helped Abraham have faith even in divine delay. Why?
It’s becoming difficult for us to appreciate what happened that night with Abraham because of something called light pollution. Most of us now live with the inability to see and appreciate the stars. As this image shows, the lights of cities and towns drown out the stars. Only those who live in isolated areas have a clear view of the stars now.
Before all these lights, you used to be able to look up and see what is captured on the image on the left. But now, with all the lights, what we see is the image on the right.
That’s why groups have been designating certain areas as “dark sky parks.” The first of those is the Natural Bridge National Monument in Utah. Places like this are some of the few remaining places where you can go and see the stars as they were meant to be seen.
Thierry Cohen has worked to help us imagine what those of us living in cities might see if we could turn all those city lights off. He’s blended pictures of world renowned cities with images of what the stars at that exact location would look like if there were no city lights. Here are a few of his works:
Rio de Janeiro
Los Angeles:
San Francisco:
So, what was going on when God took Abraham outside and showed him those stars? I think God was trying to move Abraham to a place similar to that in Ps. 8. In Psalm 8, David looks up at those stars and responds with awe and praise:
8 O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens…3 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, 4 what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?…9 O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
I think God was trying to get Abraham to that point right there. To look at those stars and to see how majestic God is. To see how glorious God is. To see how amazing it is that this same God cares for Abraham.
Those vast stars came from a vast God. That beauty came from a beautiful One. Those innumerable glimmers came from the incomparable God.
God was providing Abraham some context. Surely the God who could do that—make the stars, would do this—fulfill a promise. Surely the God who gave humanity that, would give Abraham this. Certainly a God who could create countless stars could be counted on to grant one child to Abraham.
There is a scene in the movie “A Beautiful Mind” that touches on this. The movie is based on the true story of John Nash, a Nobel Laureate in Economics. Plagued with schizophrenia, Nash is nonetheless a brilliant man. He falls in love with Alicia but stumbles with his marriage proposal:
John: Alicia, does our relationship warrant long-term commitment? Because I need some kind of proof, some kind of verifiable, empirical data.
Alica: I’m sorry, just give me a moment….to redefine my girlish notions of romance. A proof?
Verifiable data. Okay. Well, how big is the universe?
John: Infinite.
Alicia: How do you know?
John: Because all the data indicates it.
Alicia: But it hasn’t been proven yet. You haven’t seen it. How do you know for sure?
John: I don’t, I just believe it.
Alicia: It’s the same with love, I guess.
Perhaps this is what’s happening between Abraham and God in Gen. 15. God leads Abraham out into the dark of the night. How big is the universe? God asks Abraham. Immeasurable, Abraham says. How do you know Abraham? You haven’t seen it all. How do you know for sure? Because, Abraham says, I can see this – and he sweeps his hand across the sky. And because of what I can see, I believe in what I can’t see.
That, God says, it is how it is with us-with you and me. Believe in what you can’t see-your unborn son whom I’ve promised to you-because of what you can see—these countless and stars. Believe in what I haven’t done-given you and Sarah your son-based on what I have done-created an infinite and indescribable cosmos for your pleasure.
And Abraham believed the Lord. Will you?
