It is possible for us to be IMPATIENT with God, if we feel that He is not acting according to our timescale! Such impatience often leads us to feel that He needs assistance from us, so we make decisions that prove disastrous. A prime example of this was Abraham. If a man of his spiritual stature was capable of losing his patience with God, we must take care lest we fall!

If you have time, it will be instructive to read through Genesis chapters 12-17. Abraham left his own country of Ur and moved, by faith, to another land God would show him. He received promises from Him that he would become a great nation, a great name and a great blessing. God assured him of these promises on four occasions and he believed Him; however, they could not be fulfilled without a son and heir. He waited patiently for God to keep His word until he reached the age of 86 and his wife, Sarah, was 75.

Sadly, he could not cope with God’s apparent silence, so he decided that he would work things out in his own way. The outcome of his impatience was an immoral union with Sarah’s maid, Hagar, which led to the birth of Ishmael, who became a ‘thorn in Israel’s side’, until this very day!

Thirteen years of silence from God followed. Naturally speaking, all hope of a son by Sarah had disappeared by that time and Abraham might have concluded that this justified his actions – at least he had a son through whom God could fulfill His promises to him. It is so easy for us to lose our patience with God and to circumvent His purposes for us.

If only Abraham had waited patiently for God, He would have learned how God would have worked His plan out for him!