Don't Sway in the DelaySample

When God-Sized Dreams Feel Far Away

God gave Abram an impossible dream. At 75 years old with a barren 65-year-old wife, he was promised to become the father of nations. Can you imagine? Most people that age are enjoying grandchildren, not waiting to start a family.

Maybe God has planted a dream in your heart that seems just as impossible. A business that would impact your community. A ministry that would change lives. Restoration of a marriage everyone says is over. A prodigal child coming home. You know it’s from God because you could never pull it off in your own strength.

Here’s what we need to understand: God-sized dreams often come with delays.

Abram waited 25 years for Isaac to be born. Twenty-five years of wondering if he heard God correctly. Twenty-five years of watching other families grow while his tent remained empty.

Ten years into the wait, Abram and Sarai cracked. They tried to help God out by having Abram father a child through their servant Hagar (Genesis 16:1–4). They created Ishmael, attempting to fulfill God’s promise through human effort.

The result? Heartache, division, and consequences that lasted generations.

How often do we do the same thing? We get impatient with God’s timing and try to manufacture our own solutions. We force doors open that God meant to stay closed. We settle for less than God’s best because waiting feels unbearable.

Yet here’s the truth: God doesn’t work on our schedule, but He never misses His appointments.

Hebrews 6:12 tells us to “imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.” Notice it takes both faith and patience. Faith believes the promise will come. Patience waits for God’s perfect timing.

Why does God make us wait? Because in the delay, He’s not just preparing the promise. He’s preparing you. He’s building character, teaching trust, developing dependence on Him.

The delay isn’t punishment. It’s preparation. When Sarah finally held Isaac, she laughed with joy, saying “Who would have believed this?” God’s timing made the miracle undeniable. And He’s ready to do the same for you.

That impossible dream God gave you? He hasn’t forgotten it. In fact, every day of delay is a day of preparation. Your Isaac is coming. Stay faithful in the waiting!

Pray

Father, forgive me for trying to rush Your timing. Help me trust that You’re working even in this delay. Build in me the character I need to handle the promise when it comes. I choose to wait on You. Amen.