I am such an impatient person. I would like to blame that on my environment. I grew up in the age of microwave ovens and fast food, which meant I didn’t have to wait long for meals. When I finished college, cell phones were becoming popular, which meant I didn’t have to wait for someone to be home to reach them on the phone. Then came texting, which means I didn’t even have to wait for people to be in a place to talk! I have high-speed internet, instant, digital cameras, and television on demand. So yeah, my environment feeds my impatience, but it doesn’t cause it. God is teaching me that the most important things in life require a longer view.

I stood before a preacher and made a promise to Tonya Garretson 23 years ago. Looking back, we didn’t know what we were promising. Not really. But with each passing year, we understand it a little more. Time hasn’t changed our vows, but it has changed our understanding of our vows.

I think Paul is saying something similar in this passage. God made a promise to Abraham, and that promise was based on faith. He did not give Abraham a list of demands that would activate the promise. There were no stipulations. Instead, Abraham trusted God, and God made a covenant with Him. Abraham certainly didn’t understand exactly what was happening, but he knew he trusted God. And then the years went by.

Looking backward, Paul points to the Law – the product of a second covenant God made (through Moses), and he points to the time that passed between God’s promise and the birth of Jesus (the realization of that promise). When you push everything else aside, though, it all comes back to God’s vow… and God’s faithfulness… and the importance of taking a long view.