Monday, July 18, 2011
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I've never been a mother. You probably guessed that, but I have talked to a lot of them. In fact, one of my very best friends on earth is a mother; in fact a couple of them. And I understand that the nine months of waiting for a baby...I guess it's fun at the beginning, but it gets a little long about the eighth or ninth month.
I remember when my wife was carrying our third and our youngest. It turned out to be a boy. Our oldest, our daughter, was about four years old then. I don't remember my wife commenting on the wait for baby, but my little girl sure got impatient. In fact, more than once she would curl up on the couch next to her Mom, because she couldn't sit on her lap any more. There was no lap to sit on. And she would lean over and put her head right up against Mom's tummy and yell and she would go, "Hey, you, when are you coming out!"
Well, fortunately her brother did not respond to that call. He did not come when his sister thought he should. If he had, well, that wouldn't have been a joke at all. He would have been premature. Who knows? He might not have even survived. If you want a healthy baby, you don't want to rush it. Actually, if you want a healthy anything.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Greatest Enemy of the Best."
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Genesis 27. I'll begin reading with verse 5. Now, you might remember that Isaac and Rebecca had two sons - Jacob and Esau. And the promise had been that Jacob would receive the father's blessing, even though he was the youngest. Now it appears that Isaac's on his deathbed and it hasn't happened, so Rebecca starts to panic.
"When Esau left for the open country to hunt game and bring it back," the Bible says, "Rebecca said to her son Jacob, 'Look, I overheard your father say to your brother Esau, "Bring me some game and prepare me some tasty food to eat so that I may give you my blessing in the presence of the Lord before I die." Now, my son, listen carefully and do what I tell you. Go out to the flock and bring me two choice young goats so I can prepare some tasty food for your Father just the way he likes it. Then take it to your Father to eat so he may give you his blessing before he dies.'"
Well, that's exactly what happened. Jacob impersonated his brother, lied to his Father because of his mother's scheme. And later we find out that Esau held a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing his Father had given him.
I think Rebecca epitomizes someone who can't wait for God to do it...for God's time table. So, as a result of this trick, Jacob had to leave home and Rebecca didn't see him for 14 years. There was war in the family, and guess what? P.S. - ironically, Isaac lived 20 more years. He didn't die. Rebecca was working for the right result; it was one God had promised. But she rushed it and she ruined it. The plan was premature; the baby wasn't full term yet.
Oh, but Rebecca's not unique. We all have a hard time waiting for God to deliver what He promised. So we try to help Him. So, what's the greatest enemy of God's best? Impatience. We are the microwave generation. We get 30-second solutions to every problem in commercials. We like fast food. We want God's provision, but we want it now.
Maybe you're in a waiting time right now. You're waiting for the person you need, or a breakthrough, or money you need, a house, an opportunity, a job, and maybe you're tempted to interfere, to take what you can get now - to pull a Rebecca. Well, don't ruin God's perfectly timed plan with your impatience. He's the God of full term answers.
Like an impatient four-year-old, tired of waiting, we yell, "When's it going to come?" Don't rush the plan and then end up with a premature delivery that becomes a problem instead of an answer.
Remember, impatience is the greatest enemy of God's best.