Missteps in the Middle

I think, if we were honest, we would admit that much of our life is spent in the “middle.” What I mean by that is this: often we find ourselves believing, waiting, and hoping for God to fulfill the promises He has made in our lives.

Throughout our lives, it’s important for us to determine whether or not we truly believe that God can do impossible things. Do we really believe in His supernatural power? One thing we must all come to grips with is that God does not work at our pace or according to our timing. God does not run on our schedule.

We see this clearly in the story of Abraham and Sarah. When we first meet them, God is promising Abraham—whose name was still Abram—that He would raise up a mighty nation from him and that he would have many sons.

Time passes, and the promise is not fulfilled. God had not forgotten what He had spoken to Abraham, but it simply wasn’t time yet for the answer to come. Waiting, for Sarah, led to doubting.

So Sarah told Abraham to take her servant, Hagar, and sleep with her. They did produce a child—but this was not God’s plan.

In Genesis 18, we pick the story back up as an angel visits Abraham and tells him that within a year, Sarah will be holding a child. Sarah overhears the conversation and laughs to herself.

Abraham and Sarah were promised something by God, but the waiting led them to doubt. This happens in our lives too. The question becomes: what steps do we take in the “middle,” and how do we avoid missteps while we wait?

To avoid missteps in the middle, we must first choose faithfulness. Abraham and Sarah’s first mistake was trying to take God’s promise and make it happen on their own timetable through their own planning.

I see this happen often in the lives of young people who have a fresh encounter with God, only to return home and realize they still face the same temptations. Their school doesn’t instantly experience revival, and discouragement begins to creep in.

Sarah’s biggest mistake was taking matters into her own hands. It’s not our job to manipulate or manufacture the plans of God into existence. It’s not on us to fulfill God’s promises. Our responsibility is simply to remain faithful.

This story reminds me of Exodus 32. God’s people had just been brought out of Egypt when Moses went up the mountain to meet with God and receive the law. While he was gone, the people grew impatient.

After only a few days, they gathered their gold and built a golden calf to worship. When Moses came down the mountain, they were dancing around an altar to a god they had created.

Think about this: the very God Moses was meeting with had delivered them from Egypt—sending plagues, parting the sea, providing water from a rock, and feeding them with manna from heaven. Yet in a matter of days, they were worshiping something else.

Unfortunately, we still see this today. Let this not be our story. Though it may not be today or tomorrow, our God is never late.

Let us choose to praise Him now for what He will do. Let us worship while we wait. Let us believe even when we doubt.

When we find ourselves in the “middle,” it’s also vital that we choose hope. In Genesis 18, when Sarah laughed at the angel’s words, it wasn’t a light chuckle—it was disbelief. Humanly speaking, the situation was impossible. Sarah was 90 years old, and Abraham was 100.

Yet Genesis 18:14 asks a powerful question: “Is anything impossible for the Lord?”

In the midst of waiting, Sarah had grown bitter. This can happen to us when we lose hope or stop believing. When we find ourselves in the middle, we must keep hoping while we wait.

I love how Zechariah 9 describes God’s people as “prisoners of hope.” What a powerful image—God’s people chained to hope, unable to escape it.

Matthew 15 tells the story of a woman whose daughter was possessed by a demon. Somewhere along the way, she heard about Jesus. When she found Him and asked for help, Jesus tested her faith:

“It isn’t right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” — Matthew 15:26

She didn’t walk away offended.

“Yes, Lord,” she said, “yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” — Matthew 15:27

Her bold faith led to her daughter’s healing. What I love about her story is that she recognized Jesus’ true power. She didn’t grow bitter in the waiting.

In essence, she was saying: Jesus, I’ll take whatever You’ll give me. I’ll wait my turn. All I need is a touch from You, so I’ll keep hoping while I wait.

God is able to do the impossible. You can trust Him. When He doesn’t work according to your timetable, keep being faithful. Don’t take matters into your own hands—they are better off in His.

Don’t let the “middle” make you cynical or bitter. Keep hoping. Keep believing. God will bring it to pass in His time.