Genesis 18 - The appointed time
✨The passage starts off with three men appearing at the entrance of Abraham tent. I’d like to think that the three men were the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
3 “My lord,” he said, “if it pleases you, stop here for a while. 4 Rest in the shade of this tree while water is brought to wash your feet. 5 And since you’ve honored your servant with this visit, let me prepare some food to refresh you before you continue on your journey.”6 So Abraham ran back to the tent and said to Sarah, “Hurry! Get three large measures[a] of your best flour, knead it into dough, and bake some bread.” 7 Then Abraham ran out to the herd and chose a tender calf and gave it to his servant, who quickly prepared it. 8 When the food was ready, Abraham took some yogurt and milk and the roasted meat, and he served it to the men. As they ate, Abraham waited on them in the shade of the trees.
✨Abraham demonstrates the proper way to host the presence of the Holy Spirit. Abraham even instructed his wife to get up and help him prepare.The Holy Spirit is out daily bread and we must act accordingly. We must prepare refreshing food in his presence. Worship of any sort is refreshing to him. Reverence him every time you think about his goodness. Thanking him should be muscle memory. We have grown to comfortably show hostility to the enemy as we continue to welcome him YET we show no hostility to the spirit.
❗️Self-check ❗️
10 Then one of them said, “I will return to you about this time next year, and your wife, Sarah, will have a son!” Sarah was listening to this conversation from the tent. 11 Abraham and Sarah were both very old by this time, and Sarah was long past the age of having children. 12 So she laughed silently to herself and said, “How could a worn-out woman like me enjoy such pleasure, especially when my master—my husband—is also so old?”
✨The issue is clearly stated .. Abraham and Sarah are both old and Sarah is beyond childbearing age. Let us go back a bit .. Sarah and Abraham had been praying for a child together. Abraham did not share the promise God gave them with his wife. God promised him that Sarah would have a child and Abraham still had a child with Hagar. After hearing the promise herself Sarah still did not believe it. She was caught up in what the world “Knew” to be true .. after a certain age baring children seemed to be impossible.
13 Then the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really have a child, now that I am old?’ 14 Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return to you at the appointed time next year, and Sarah will have a son.”
✨ Is anything too hard for the Lord???? When I am being weighed down by the cares of the word I pose this question to myself. Knowing the answer from experience, knowing the answer faith, knowing the answer to this question pulls me out of my dark moments. When we pose this question we must consider the position that we are in. Often it's when we realized that our victory is impossible when we’re fighting alone. We pose the question when we're ready to give up. The question is posed when our human eye and our faith eyes are no longer seeing the same picture. I’ve learned to stop questioning “Is there anything too hard for God” and to start living it. Some of my wildest dreams have come true because there is nothing too hard for God. I’ve been delivered from my valley because there is nothing too hard for God. I pray without ceasing because there is nothing too hard for God. Go into the battle with that mindset so when you stumble you know who will stand you up. You have to know he’s able before you expect the impossible.
✨Boom, God said something so powerful to them. He said, “ I will return to you at the appointed time next year, and Sarah will have a son.” The appointed time .. the time it was decided in advance. They prayed, tried on their own, realized their mistake, went on assignment, lost faith, etc. God cleared it all up with the appointed time. God knew when they would be ready in advance. God knew what they could handle in-between time. God heard their prayers and saved their promise for the appointed time.
Appointed .. a building or room that is equipped to the standard.
✨The appointed time!!! God set that time for them to be prepared for exactly what they were praying for. Their blessing would not have fit them while they were still at Abram's father's house. The appointed time was AFTER their mistakes .. grace. The appointed time was AFTER Abram was elevated to Abraham. The wait was necessary.
✨ We’ve all had the heart of Sarah. Some of us have even been Abraham. We’ve been praying, mourning, and fasting for a promise that we haven’t touched yet. We’ve given up. We’ve been overwhelmed with worldly doctrine. We’ve been on assignment and sinking at the same time. We’ve tried it on our own and created more problems than we started with. Your appointed time is yet to come. God is preparing you for the very thing you prayed for. Do not allow your circumstance cause you to forget the power of God.
Hold on!!
✨Your promise is attached to a standard! Keep trusting him! The wait is not to make you suffer. The wait is to make sure you don't mishandle what you prayed for. You haven’t even seen the vision on yourself that is prepared for your promise.
GOD,
I thank you for not prematurely giving me my promise. I thank you for creating a space where my promise and my purpose are on the same standard. I thank you for preparing me for such a standard. Thank you for waiting until you knew I could handle it. I thank you for not giving me everything I pray for when I want it. Amen!