Worth the Wait 值得等待

[Dexu Xia]

Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.  Genesis 21:5

Talk about a layover. Phil Stringer waited eighteen hours to board a flight that was delayed due to thunderstorms. His patience and perseverance paid off, however. Not only did he get to fly to his destination and make it on time for important business meetings, but he was also the only traveler on the flight! All the other passengers gave up or made other arrangements. Flight attendants gave him whatever food items he desired, and Stringer adds, “I did sit in the front row, of course. Why not when you have the whole plane to yourself?” The outcome was definitely worth the wait.

Abraham also endured what must have felt like a lengthy delay. Way back when he was known as Abram, God told him that He would make him “into a great nation” and that “all peoples on earth [would] be blessed through” him (Genesis 12:2-3). Only one problem for the seventy-five-year-old man (v. 4): how could he become a great nation without an heir? His waiting was left wanting at times, however. He and wife Sarai tried to “help” God fulfill His promise with some misguided ideas (see 15:2-3; 16:1-2). And when he “was a hundred years old . . . Isaac was born to him” (21:5). His faith was later celebrated by the writer of Hebrews (11:8-12).Waiting can be hard. And, like Abraham, we might not do it perfectly. But as we pray and rest in God’s plans, may He help us persevere. In Him, it’s always worth the wait.

By:  Tom Felten

What are you waiting for? How can you rest and persevere in God’s strength?

Dear God, please help me wait and persevere in You.

他儿子以撒生的时候，亚伯拉罕年一百岁。—创世记21章5节 

说到等待，菲尔·斯金格（Phil Stringer）可是等了足足18小时才登上因雷雨而延误的航班。但他的耐心和毅力得到回报，他不仅能及时飞抵目的地去参加重要的商务会议，而且还是该航班唯一的乘客！因别的乘客全都取消订位，或做其他的安排。斯金格说空服员让他任选餐点，还说：“当然，我选择坐在最前排，当你可以独享整架飞机的时候，为什么不好好享受呢？”这样的结果绝对值得等待！

亚伯拉罕也曾经历过漫长的等待。早在他还名叫亚伯兰时，上帝就告诉他：“我必叫你成为大国”，并且“地上的万族都要因你得福”（创世记12章2-3节）。那时，亚伯兰这75岁的老人（4节），只有一个疑问﹕如果没有继承人，他如何成为一个大国？虽然他在等待应许实现期间犯了一些错误（他与妻子撒莱试图用一些错误的方法来“帮助”上帝实现祂的应许，见15章2-3节，16章1-2节），但他在一百岁的时候，还是等到了上帝所赐的儿子以撒（21章5节）。后来，希伯来书的作者也赞扬亚伯拉罕的信心（希伯来书11章8-12节）。

等待是艰难的，就像亚伯拉罕一样，我们在等待中可能也会犯错。但当我们向上帝祈求，并信赖祂的计划，祂会帮助我们继续忍耐等候。上帝的计划是值得等待的。

作者：  冯得恩

你正在等待什么？
你如何倚靠上帝的能力安心等候？

亲爱的上帝，请帮助我靠着祢耐心等待，并坚忍到底