The son God had promised has finally arrived! It’s been twenty-five years since God originally made his promises to Abraham, but God did exactly what he said he would do. God also provided for Ishmael. Abraham is becoming rich, well-known and the father of multiple nations.
Faith often requires patience. In 2 Peter 3:9 we are told, “The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.” The people Peter is writing to are impatient because it is taking a long time for Jesus to return to the earth. We would have even more reason to wonder almost 2000 years later. Jesus is waiting to return because he wants more people to have time to trust him. Maybe God delayed the birth of Isaac to give Abraham the chance to become the man he should be before becoming a father. God’s timing is perfect, and he considers things we don’t even know about.