“And the LORD appeared to him [Abraham] … as he sat at the door of his tent in the heat of the day … Three men were standing in front of him. When he saw them, he … said, ‘O Lord, if I have found favor in Your sight, do not pass by Your servant. Let a little water be brought, and wash Your feet, and rest Yourselves under the tree, while I bring a morsel of bread ….’ And he stood by them under the tree while they ate. … The LORD said, ‘I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife shall have a son.’ And Sarah was listening at the tent door behind him. Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in years. … So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, ‘After I am worn out, and my lord is old, shall I have pleasure?’ The LORD said to Abraham … ‘Is anything too hard for the LORD?'”
(Genesis 18:1, 2b, 3-5a, 8b, 10-11a, 12-13a, 14a ESV)
One of the most annoying things about the Lord is His habit of rarely telling us anything more than we actually have to know ahead of time. For example, take Abraham and Sarah. Today’s passage makes the, what? the fifth, maybe sixth time God has promised to give them a child? Sarah is already past menopause. It’s been 25 years since God first started saying this. No wonder Sarah laughed!
It’s frustrating when God refuses to explain Himself—when He makes us wait for things we thought would come easily and quickly—or we never get those good things at all, and God doesn’t explain why. The temptation for me is to throw a tantrum—to stomp my feet and shout at God, “Why are You doing this? Why don’t You just tell me everything right now?”
I think God is trying to teach me to trust Him. Unfortunately, the only way I learn to trust Him is when I’m walking in the dark, or something close to it. When I think I have it all figured out, I stop leaning on God. I trust in my own understanding. And I’m guessing that is true for you as well.
If it’s any comfort, God chose to take His own medicine. Jesus’ own life was precarious in the extreme. Born away from home, a child refugee on the run from a murderous king—then, as an adult, living a life that was dependent on the gifts of others for food and shelter. Caring for people who could turn on Him at a moment’s notice. And with one absolute certainty ahead of Him—that He would suffer and die a painful, humiliating death in order to save God’s people.
When I remember that Jesus did all of this for the love of us, it melts my frustrated heart. It is easier for me to trust in God knowing how much He has already loved us—enough to die and rise again for us. If He loves us that much, I can put up with the frustration.
WE PRAY: Dear Lord, when I am worried and frustrated about the things in my life I don’t understand, help me to trust in You. Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo.
Originally published in The Lutheran Hour on July 12, 2022
Used by permission from International Lutheran Laymen’s League, all rights reserved
Reflection Questions:
1. Would you say that you are a trusting person, or just the opposite?
2. What is one area of your life where you wish God would give you answers now?
3. How does the Holy Spirit help you through times when you don’t know what’s going to happen or when?