The waiting is over

1.    Favour. The first thing you see operating in her life is the favour of God. God bye-passed many young girls to bless her with Isaac as her husband. Imagine the number of attractive young girls that Elieazar passed on the way. •    Favour pushed its way through the crowd to reach her. •    Favour […]

1.    Favour. The first thing you see operating in her life is the favour of God. God bye-passed many young girls to bless her with Isaac as her husband. Imagine the number of attractive young girls that Elieazar passed on the way.

•    Favour pushed its way through the crowd to reach her.

•    Favour will get you to places you can’t even dream of.

•    Favour will give you things that are bigger than you have courage to go for.

•    Favour will bring into your life blessings you don’t deserve.

•    The favour of God will drive your enemies crazy. They wonder, “How in the world he got this car?” How in the world did she get this handsome, nice, sweet, rich man?

•    Favour got Esther to the throne.

•    Favour got Joseph to the palace.

Lift up your hand and begin to receive the favour of God.

2.    Foundations. What pre-qualified her was her foundation. Abraham strictly commanded his servant to go to his (Abraham’s) people. People, who had respect for God, people who feared God. (Proverbs 14: 9b says, “Fools make a mock at sin: but among the righteous there is favour”).

•    The first element of her foundation is the fear of God. It is the fear of God that makes a man to treat his wife well. It is the fear of God that makes a woman to behave well. A man without the fear of God has no restraints – he will be wicked and unfaithful.

•    The second element of her foundation is purity. Rebecca had a good foundation – purity. She was a virgin. Purity attracts favour. Purity is attractive. She was a descent girl. People will push through the crowd to find a descent girl. People will push through the crowd to find an upright man. She was chaste. Rebecca was a virgin – no man had known her. She was not sleeping around. She did not have a steady boyfriend either. Those who keep themselves never get disappointed. What makes disappointment so painful is that the man has seen all of you. You held nothing back. You gave something permanent for a temporary promise.

•    The third element in her foundation is her hospitality. Don’t get me wrong, she was not generous with her body – that was reserved for only one man. She was a nice girl who was ready to help people in need. God is ready to do anything for those who add value to the lives of others. She was a passionate hard worker. In fact, it was the only sign Eleazar prayed for. Who wants to marry a liability? A Carmel can take about 20-50 gallons of water. She watered 10! Some sisters do nothing and say “my husband will take care of me”. It is true that Boaz commanded his workers to drop handfuls for Ruth on purpose but she had to be on the field first. The handful was not dropped in her house but out there on the field. Majority of people marry someone not just because they are in the church but because they are hard working.  I noticed that most of the people we have wedded in this church are workers in the church. If a man or woman does not know how to sacrifice for God, he or she will not be able to sacrifice for someone else.

•    The fourth element of her foundation is her attitude. She was a cheerful worker. The Bible says she ran to the well. She served with passion. Most people drag themselves through the day and through what they do. Have you ever gone to a shop where the workers are not interested in the customer? You get the picture!

3.    Fruitlessness. (Genesis 25:20-21) Here is where the issue becomes tricky. Sometimes you are doing everything right but things don’t just add up. The devil tried to attack her fruitfulness. The most painful attack you will ever experience is the attack on your fruitfulness. The devil is a liar! If your purity and foundation do not translate into tangible results, you are likely to be discouraged. In fact people will mock you all the way. Empty hands can drive a person crazy. Empty pockets can be humiliating. Barrenness of any sort can be discouraging. Does anybody know what it is to be led by God into a business that is dry? Into a marriage that produces no children? Into a ministry in which you are struggling?

4.    Faithfulness. But there is one thing the devil is over looking; one thing that destroys unfruitfulness, dryness and barrenness–God’s faithfulness. You see, Isaac was a covenant child, his marriage was a covenant purpose therefore his fruitfulness was not just a challenge to him but to God. And you know what? God is faithful to His covenants. He said my covenant will I not break—. God’

THE KEYS TO VICTORY

I.    Keep your hope alive. There can be no faith without hope. The longer you wait, the slimmer hope gets. Listen to tapes, read good books, come to church, hang around optimistic people. Speak your expectation. Discuss your fears with someone stronger than you.

II.    Plead the promise. Isaac prayed. He pleaded with God concerning his wife. What did he plead? I believe he asked God to remember His promise to His father Abraham.

God is not going to answer your prayer because you cried or felt bad. He is not going to answer your prayer because you have waited long. He is only going to answer your prayer because He promised. He is only going to answer your prayer because of His covenant. He is faithful to his covenant.

Say out loud, “I may be dry, but I am a covenant child”.

“God is faithful”. God heard! “God has heard my prayer”

“The waiting is over” “Dryness is over” “Barrenness is over”

III.    Plant your seed. The most serious mistake most people make when things dry up around them is to stop sowing seeds. After praying, Isaac met his wife – he planted his seed. The ones he planted before yielded nothing. But after pleading the promise, the next seed he planted produced twins. Get ready for multiple breakthroughs.

Rev. (Dr.) Olowojoba is the Snr. Pastor of Dayspring Bible Church, Sabon-Lugbe, Abuja, Nigeria and President, Dayspring Christian Ministries International.  E-mail: [email protected]