Abraham and Waiting and the Times In-Between

And Another Thing . . . Abraham and Waiting and the Times In-Between

I am writing this blog a little before 7:00 on election night 2012. I have decided to not look at news for a few hours and let the frenetic energy settle a bit. It is an odd thing waiting for news that will potentially change your life. Elections can feel that way, but many other things do as well.

For many years I worked for a large pharmaceutical company. During my tenure, there were three or four times when my company “downsized” their number of employees. The “deselection” process was always varied and always somewhat harrowing. Each time I had to sit by a phone and wait to hear what others had decided about my fate. I remember sitting in my office waiting for the phone to ring. The question was always, “Will my life change a little, or a lot, or not at all?” In those in-between times, I remember wondering what the people evaluating me were saying. Did they see my worth? Did I have any worth? Do I even want this job? What will I do if I lose my job? Why aren’t they calling? I wonder if we have any cookies. And on and on it would go.  Anger. Fear. Hope. Frustration. Assurance. Resignation. Impatience. Confidence. Doubt. Repeat.

Then the phone call came and fortunately for me, I was always retained and life resumed. Life is full of in-between times.

As a pastor, I have often sat with a family and friends in waiting rooms while people with grave conditions were being treated or operated on. I have heard life stories, philosophical meanderings, silly reminiscences, bad jokes and even mundane anecdotes all while waiting for news of a potentially life altering event. I have made new friends while waiting to hear if another person is going to make it. Life is mostly made up of the little moments that lie in between the big ones.

When Abram was 75 he had an incredible spiritual encounter with God. He heard God speak instructing him to leave everything and go to a land of promise. God told him that he would turn his descendants into a great nation. This was big news since Abram had yet to produce a child. As outlandish as this was, Abram obeyed.  He left everything. He followed God.

So Abram began his sojourn. Twenty-four years passed and there was still no child. I wonder if Abram ever felt silly. I wonder if he ever had a “what was I thinking” moment. We know that Sarai doubted. She forced the issue and Abram got a son from her servant. It was a mess. There were lots of stories in his in-between days. Twenty-four years of days without much news from God. Abram kept following. The odds kept getting longer. He was nearly 100 before he heard from God again. When he spoke, he said the same thing. “Great nation.” “Blessings.” Oh, and “circumcision.” “And, while you’re at it, change your name to Abraham” It just kept getting crazier. 100 years old and Abraham is still all in. He obeys, and low and behold, he gets a son.

God kept his word, but there were lots of days of silence before the promise was realized. There were lots of in-between stories. Twenty-four years of the odds just getting longer. Twenty-four years of being tempted to believe he got it wrong. Twenty-four years of waiting for faith to become sight.

God did keep his word. And all these years later, Abraham’s name is still known and his story is still told. The book of Hebrews says this of Abraham.

Hebrews 11:8-12  By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered him faithful who had made the promise. And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.

What a huge ending God brought to this slow and plodding beginning. Eventually this humble story turns glorious. Abraham’s sojourn established a foundation for the beginning of the Jesus story. In his in-between days, although sometimes he stumbled, he remained faithful and God through him did more than anyone could ask or imagine.

So, while I wait to hear the end of this election story, I know that the big picture belongs to God. The big news of this election night may wind up being a big deal, or perhaps it will just be a footnote. Either way, God will do good things through his people if they choose to remain faithful in their in-between times.

And that is all I have to say about that . . . for now.