1 00:00:37,970 --> 00:00:41,531 Speaker 1: Hey friends, it's Kelly from Life Audio. We just launched 2 00:00:41,531 --> 00:00:45,171 Speaker 1: something new. It's called The Good Word, our free weekly 3 00:00:45,251 --> 00:00:48,131 Speaker 1: newsletter built for people who want to go a little 4 00:00:48,171 --> 00:00:54,091 Speaker 1: deeper in their faith. Thank devotionals, guided prayers, curated podcast recommendations, 5 00:00:54,131 --> 00:00:57,331 Speaker 1: and a little community all in one place. No ads, 6 00:00:57,731 --> 00:01:00,170 Speaker 1: just good content. This one means a lot to us. 7 00:01:00,451 --> 00:01:03,211 Speaker 1: We built The Good Word based on the audience survey 8 00:01:03,451 --> 00:01:05,811 Speaker 1: so many of you filled out a few months back. 9 00:01:05,971 --> 00:01:08,450 Speaker 1: You told us what you wanted and we listened. So 10 00:01:08,611 --> 00:01:11,530 Speaker 1: thank you truly for helping us shape this. Head to 11 00:01:11,571 --> 00:01:14,211 Speaker 1: the link in the show notes and join our community today. 12 00:01:14,411 --> 00:01:15,530 Speaker 1: We'd love to have you. 13 00:01:18,371 --> 00:01:30,450 Speaker 2: Life Audio. 14 00:01:26,571 --> 00:01:29,371 Speaker 3: Welcome to the Crosswalk Devotional. We're so glad to have 15 00:01:29,411 --> 00:01:33,011 Speaker 3: you as a listener. Today's topic is Faith While we Wait. 16 00:01:33,491 --> 00:01:35,851 Speaker 3: We'll be write back with a brief message from our sponsor, 17 00:01:48,651 --> 00:01:52,451 Speaker 3: Faith while We Wait, Written by Laura Bailey, Read by 18 00:01:52,651 --> 00:01:55,931 Speaker 3: Laura Bailey. I will make you into a great nation, 19 00:01:56,371 --> 00:01:59,011 Speaker 3: and I will bless you. I will make your name great, 20 00:01:59,291 --> 00:02:01,691 Speaker 3: and you will be a blessing. I will bless those 21 00:02:01,691 --> 00:02:04,971 Speaker 3: who bless you, and whoever curses you, I will curse, 22 00:02:05,971 --> 00:02:08,650 Speaker 3: and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you 23 00:02:09,251 --> 00:02:11,930 Speaker 3: Genesis twelve two through three and IV. 24 00:02:13,050 --> 00:02:14,691 Speaker 2: I'm done. 25 00:02:15,011 --> 00:02:18,451 Speaker 3: I have spent hours investing in this ministry, and after 26 00:02:18,531 --> 00:02:20,451 Speaker 3: a year still nothing has changed. 27 00:02:20,531 --> 00:02:21,891 Speaker 2: I yelled into the air. 28 00:02:22,611 --> 00:02:25,050 Speaker 3: I'd felt confident in God's leading me to start this 29 00:02:25,091 --> 00:02:28,731 Speaker 3: new program for the community, yet wherever I turned, I 30 00:02:28,891 --> 00:02:33,731 Speaker 3: was faced with the opposition, read blocks, and general disappointment. Admittedly, 31 00:02:34,211 --> 00:02:38,251 Speaker 3: I am great at starting things, but horrible at finishing them, 32 00:02:38,851 --> 00:02:41,211 Speaker 3: especially when I can't see the fruits of my labor. 33 00:02:41,971 --> 00:02:44,611 Speaker 3: I shared with my husband that I was contemplating throwing 34 00:02:44,651 --> 00:02:48,971 Speaker 3: in the towel. I'd obviously misheard God speaking to my heart. 35 00:02:49,770 --> 00:02:53,091 Speaker 3: My husband, who, thank Goodness, is always there to calm 36 00:02:53,091 --> 00:02:56,490 Speaker 3: me and offer a word of encouragement or a different perspective, 37 00:02:57,171 --> 00:02:59,491 Speaker 3: gently nudged me to recall what we've been studying in 38 00:02:59,490 --> 00:03:03,571 Speaker 3: Sunday School recently. A few months prior, my husband and 39 00:03:03,651 --> 00:03:07,291 Speaker 3: I began teaching through the Books of Genesis line by line. 40 00:03:08,331 --> 00:03:11,571 Speaker 3: Just the previous week, we covered God's promise to Abraham 41 00:03:12,011 --> 00:03:15,891 Speaker 3: to make him into a great nation. God promises to 42 00:03:15,931 --> 00:03:21,691 Speaker 3: give Abraham a purpose, place and people, but God doesn't 43 00:03:21,691 --> 00:03:25,691 Speaker 3: tell him how or when he will fulfill them. Let's 44 00:03:25,731 --> 00:03:27,931 Speaker 3: look at the first part of God's promise to make 45 00:03:27,971 --> 00:03:31,611 Speaker 3: Abraham into a great nation. This promise would have been 46 00:03:31,651 --> 00:03:35,131 Speaker 3: difficult for Abraham to digest because at the time he 47 00:03:35,211 --> 00:03:39,211 Speaker 3: and his wife Sarah were childless. Abraham did have a 48 00:03:39,291 --> 00:03:42,211 Speaker 3: son with his female slave, Hagar, but God is clear 49 00:03:42,331 --> 00:03:45,371 Speaker 3: that he is not the one whom God will fulfill 50 00:03:45,451 --> 00:03:49,691 Speaker 3: his promise Genesis twenty one to five. Eventually, God does 51 00:03:49,771 --> 00:03:53,171 Speaker 3: give Sarah and Abraham a child, Isaac, but it's twenty 52 00:03:53,211 --> 00:03:57,331 Speaker 3: five years later. Talk about a test of patience and faith. 53 00:03:58,211 --> 00:04:02,491 Speaker 3: The Lord also promises to your offspring, I will give 54 00:04:02,771 --> 00:04:08,011 Speaker 3: this land Genesis twelve seven. Abraham moves his family from 55 00:04:08,011 --> 00:04:10,771 Speaker 3: the place they've always called home into a foreign land 56 00:04:10,811 --> 00:04:15,011 Speaker 3: where they are strangers, temporary residents, all on a promise 57 00:04:15,051 --> 00:04:19,531 Speaker 3: of future ownership. Abraham spends his life traveling through the 58 00:04:19,531 --> 00:04:22,811 Speaker 3: promised land as a visitor. He never takes ownership in 59 00:04:22,971 --> 00:04:26,051 Speaker 3: his lifetime, and it will be many years before the 60 00:04:26,091 --> 00:04:30,931 Speaker 3: Israelites inhabit it. After centuries of trials and tribulations, God 61 00:04:30,971 --> 00:04:33,971 Speaker 3: does make Abraham's name great so that he can bless 62 00:04:34,010 --> 00:04:37,570 Speaker 3: the many generations before him. Yet this doesn't happen over 63 00:04:37,611 --> 00:04:42,051 Speaker 3: an Abraham dies before he sees the fulfillment of God's promises. 64 00:04:42,611 --> 00:04:45,251 Speaker 2: But as we know, God was faithful to keep his promise. 65 00:04:46,130 --> 00:04:49,171 Speaker 3: It's easy to get discouraged when we don't see earthly results, 66 00:04:49,611 --> 00:04:51,771 Speaker 3: but that doesn't mean God isn't at work. 67 00:04:52,371 --> 00:04:54,811 Speaker 2: God works on his timeline, not ours. 68 00:04:55,451 --> 00:04:58,051 Speaker 3: Abraham is listened in Hebrews eleven as a man who 69 00:04:58,091 --> 00:05:01,371 Speaker 3: walked by faith. If you've read through Abraham's story, you 70 00:05:01,411 --> 00:05:04,011 Speaker 3: will see that he didn't always walk by faith flawlessly, 71 00:05:04,611 --> 00:05:08,451 Speaker 3: yet he trusted in God to keep his promises. Abraham 72 00:05:08,451 --> 00:05:13,890 Speaker 3: obade God's commands without knowing the outcome. As I think 73 00:05:13,891 --> 00:05:16,651 Speaker 3: about Abraham and the numerous others in Scriptures who walk 74 00:05:16,690 --> 00:05:20,130 Speaker 3: by faith even when they didn't see results, they continue 75 00:05:20,171 --> 00:05:23,651 Speaker 3: to press on to what God called them to do selfishly, 76 00:05:23,690 --> 00:05:25,891 Speaker 3: I pray I will be able to see positive movement 77 00:05:25,971 --> 00:05:29,171 Speaker 3: and ministry visually, but if not, I'll remind myself that 78 00:05:29,291 --> 00:05:29,851 Speaker 3: even when I. 79 00:05:29,811 --> 00:05:31,971 Speaker 2: Can see it, God is faithful. 80 00:05:32,611 --> 00:05:36,091 Speaker 3: Intersecting faith in life, has God called you to something 81 00:05:36,171 --> 00:05:39,690 Speaker 3: but you're struggling to remain faithful, Write down three promises 82 00:05:39,690 --> 00:05:42,090 Speaker 3: that God that felled in Scripture and put them somewhere 83 00:05:42,130 --> 00:05:46,571 Speaker 3: to encourage you when you're wavering for further reading, unwavering 84 00:05:46,651 --> 00:05:49,611 Speaker 3: faith and minute certainty Hebrew's eleven. 85 00:05:53,971 --> 00:05:57,011 Speaker 2: Thanks for listening to today's devotional. If you liked what 86 00:05:57,051 --> 00:05:59,051 Speaker 2: you heard today, we want to make sure you know 87 00:05:59,130 --> 00:06:03,091 Speaker 2: about our sister podcast, Your Daily Prayer. When you follow 88 00:06:03,130 --> 00:06:04,691 Speaker 2: your Daily Prayer in your. 89 00:06:04,611 --> 00:06:07,690 Speaker 3: Favorite podcast app, you'll get a brand new prayer and 90 00:06:07,690 --> 00:06:11,851 Speaker 3: devotional each day, so your days begin in conversation with God. 91 00:06:12,491 --> 00:06:15,291 Speaker 2: If you're looking to grow in prayer or start your 92 00:06:15,331 --> 00:06:18,491 Speaker 2: day with your heart focused on the right things, search 93 00:06:18,811 --> 00:06:22,531 Speaker 2: for your daily prayer in your favorite podcast app and 94 00:06:22,611 --> 00:06:24,811 Speaker 2: be sure to follow the show so you get a 95 00:06:24,851 --> 00:06:31,771 Speaker 2: new prayer delivered straight to you each morning.