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Day 6, or January the 6th. Good things come to

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those who wait. Our thought today is rooted in

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Genesis chapter 17, verses 1 and 2. When Abraham

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was ninety -nine years old, the Lord appeared

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to him and said, I am God Almighty. Walk before

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me faithfully and be blameless. Then I will make

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my covenant between me and you, and will greatly

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increase your numbers. First, the big picture

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surrounding these verses. In the days of Abraham,

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having an heir is a vital mark of manhood. God

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has promised him many descendants. He has promised

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Abraham that he will be a nation. But how will

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that work out if he still has no children? After

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waiting ten years, Abraham and Sarai decide to

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do what the local Canaanites do, have a child

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by a servant girl, and adopt it as their own.

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They do this, and a son is born to Hagar. His

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name is Ishmael. Abraham and Sarai still yearn

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for a son of their own, but as the years pass

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by, they are sure they are far too old now. God

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changes Abraham's name to Abraham, meaning father

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of a multitude, and Sarai to Sarah, meaning princess.

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As a sign of the covenant between God and Abraham,

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circumcision is introduced and God repeats his

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promise of an heir for Abraham. All Abraham can

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do is laugh. Still no son, and time is running

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out. And now our action step for today. Patience

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is a virtue, and we see it in abundance in the

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lives of Sarai and Abram. It's too easy to say

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that they did the wrong thing by using Hagar

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as a surrogate mother. However, this elderly

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couple deserved some praise for waiting ten years.

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Then they waited a further thirteen years before

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receiving another promise from God, and still

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they waited. Would you have waited so long? There

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is a word of warning here for all of us. Don't

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turn your back on God because he hasn't confirmed

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your timetable. Part of being a follower of Christ

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is accepting that his timings are the best. Whatever

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you are waiting for from God will be worth it.

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Just ask Abraham and Sarah.