Ngunit sinabi ni Abram, “Panginoong Yahweh, ano pang kabuluhan ng gantimpala mo sa akin kung wala naman akong anak?”

Genesis 15:2

Have you been praying for a child? Are you like Abram (na later on tinawag naAbraham) na matagal na naghintay magkaroon ng anak? Nangako si Lord sa kanya that he would become the father of many nations (Genesis 12:2), pero tumanda na sila ni Sarai at wala pa rin silang anak. Twenty-five years ang lumipas bago dumating si Isaac — the child of promise.

Paano sinagot ni Lord ang kanyang prayer? Through a miracle.  Nagkaanak si Abraham noong siya ay 100 years old na, at si Sarah naman ay 90. Ipinakita ni Lord na wala talagang imposible sa Kanya.

Habang naghihintay, what did Abraham do?

1. He put his faith in God. Genesis 15:6 (NIV) says, “Abram believed the Lord, and He credited it to him as righteousness.” Kahit mahirap maniwala, he chose to trust God’s promise.

2. He also made mistakes. Dahil sa tagal ng paghihintay, sinubukan nilang “tulungan” si Lord sa plano Niya — kaya ipinanganak si Ishmael sa pamamagitan ng alipin ni Sarai na si Hagar (Genesis 16). Pero kahit nagkamali sila, hindi binawi ni Lord ang Kanyang pangako.

3. He continued to worship. He didn’t fall away from God. Paulit-ulit siyang nagtayo ng altar at nanalangin. Pinakita niya na kahit naghihintay, priority pa rin si Lord sa buhay niya.

4. He obeyed God. When the covenant sign of circumcision came (Genesis 17), nag-obey siya kaagad. This showed that faith is not only believing, kundi obedience din.

The waiting season can be really hard. Katulad ni Abraham, we can feel impatient, doubtful, or tempted to take shortcuts. The way God answered Abraham’s  prayer is a reminder to us that God’s timing is always perfect. Twenty-five years man ang hinintay niya, dumating pa rin ang promise — at mas glorious dahil it was clearly God’s miracle, not man’s effort.

At kung binigyan tayo ni Lord ng anak, tandaan natin na hindi lang siya “answer to prayer,” kundi covenant gift. Isang paalala na may plano ang Diyos sa pamilya natin, at ginagamit Niya tayo para ipasa ang faith at values sa susunod na generation.