When we're waiting for a divine breakthrough we can become impatient and be tempted to help God out. While we may think Abraham never wavered the truth is slightly different.
"And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah's womb. He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform."
Romans 4:19-21
When we think about faith, we have to think about Abraham, the father of faith. This verse from Romans 4 seems to suggest that Abraham never wavered in his faith. If that were so, it would be hard for me to relate to his experience because I have, many times, wavered in my faith.
But we need to read these words in context. It is talking about a certain period in Abraham's life. '...since he was about a hundred years old'.
So he became strong in faith at that age. If you study his life before that time, you will find that Abraham wavered in his faith several times. When God told him he would have a son, he and his wife laughed. Not for joy but with doubt.
After some time had passed and the promise had not appeared, Sarah suggested they should help God out and Abraham should sleep with the servant girl Hagar. Abraham had no more faith than Sarah and gladly agreed.
Ishmael was born and they had a son. Abraham was now 86 years old. They wanted Ishmael to be the son of promise but he was not. Fourteen years later, God appears to Abraham again and speaks of the child of blessing.
At this point, Abraham is still wavering in his faith. Although God tells him that the child of blessing will come from him and Sarah, he laughs again with unbelief and asks that Ishmael, their 'plan B', may be the child of blessing.
Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, "Shall a child be born to a man who is one hundred years old? And shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child? And Abraham said to God, "Oh, that Ishmael might live before You!"
Genesis 17:17, 18
But from that time, something happened to Abraham's faith. He became full of faith. What happened?
The clue is in God's greeting.
"When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, "I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless."
Genesis 17:1
Up until this time God had appeared and declared he was 'Elohiym' - the divine one, the creator. The one who set the natural laws for all things.
But on this day, he announced that Abraham was being visited by 'Almighty God' - 'El Shaddai' - the most powerful God. The one who could overrule the natural law.
Now what seemed impossible before, would be made possible because now El Shaddai was on the case! So Isaac was born. God's blessing required a supernatural act. That's why Ishmael could never be the child of blessing, though he himself was blessed.
And was God foreshadowing the birth of Jesus? - which would require El Shaddai to overrule the natural law.
When we read of the first miracle of Jesus we see the fast forward button pressed by El Shaddai. The water into wine miracle at Cana accelerated the natural law.
If I plant a grape seed today and plant a vineyard, naturally speaking it will be 2 to 3 years before it will produce wine. But it would be 5 to 6 years before it would produce the best wine.
Jesus, acting as El Shaddai - God Almighty - accelerated the natural process of wine making from six years down to a couple of minutes.
I don't know what your need is today, but I know I have a few things that look like a job for El Shaddai!
We need to be careful if we waver in faith because we may produce an Ishmael. We need to stir up our faith, and call on El Shaddai - and his name is Jesus!
Next time things seem impossible, why not say, 'This looks like a job for El Shaddai!'
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