Life often presents us with crossroads where the way forward seems impossible—a medical diagnosis with no clear cure, a relationship beyond repair, a financial crisis with no solution in sight. These moments demand a choice: Do we cling to our own understanding and force a solution, or do we surrender to God’s promise that miracles are His specialty? The story of Abraham, recounted in Genesis, serves as both a warning and a beacon of hope. His journey reminds us that human effort, while well-intentioned, often falls short of divine design. God’s miracles are not born from our strategies but from our surrender to His timing and methods, which are as mysterious as they are perfect.
Abraham’s struggle to trust God’s promise of a son is a mirror for our own battles with impatience. At 99 years old, he was asked to believe that he and Sarah, barren and elderly, would become the parents of a nation. Human logic scoffed at the possibility. Instead of waiting for God’s intervention, Abraham acted on cultural norms and slept with Hagar, Sarah’s servant, to produce an heir. The result—Isaac’s half-brother Ishmael—became a source of lasting conflict, a reminder that human solutions often create complications. God’s plan, however, required a miracle: supernaturally enabling Sarah to conceive. This miracle, though delayed, fulfilled His promise and established a legacy of faith. Abraham’s mistake was not disbelief but impatience—a failure to trust that God could rewrite the laws of nature to fulfill His word.
The lesson here is timeless. When we face seemingly insurmountable challenges, our instinct is to “help” God by relying on what we know. Yet Isaiah 55:8-9 declares, “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts… my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.” Our finite minds cannot grasp the infinite creativity of God. Miracles, by their very nature, defy human logic. They emerge not from our scheming but from our willingness to wait on the Lord, even when His silence feels unbearable. Consider the parting of the Red Sea: the Israelites had to step into the water before the waves divided. Faith is stepping into the unknown, trusting that God will make a way where there is none.
Today, many of us are stuck in the “Hagar syndrome”—pursuing temporary fixes while missing God’s eternal plan. If you’re facing a situation that demands a miracle, ask yourself: Have I tried to engineer a solution out of fear or frustration? Or am I anchoring my heart in the truth that God’s delay is not His denial? True trust means acknowledging that God’s “no” or “not yet” might be the precursor to an answer far greater than we imagined. It means praying, “I don’t know how You’ll do it, but I know You will,” and then obeying the small, seemingly irrational steps He asks us to take—like Abraham leaving his homeland without a map.
To demonstrate trust in God, start by releasing control. Surrender the problem to Him daily through prayer, refusing to rehearse fears. Obey the promptings of His Spirit, even if they seem illogical—accepting a job offer that pays less, forgiving someone who wronged you, or stepping into a ministry that feels overwhelming. Miracles often begin with obedience to ordinary tasks. Finally, cultivate gratitude in the waiting. Thank God for His faithfulness, even when the miracle hasn’t manifested. Gratitude shifts our focus from the problem to the Provider.
When we choose to trust God’s unseen path, we open ourselves to a miracle that transcends our circumstances. It may not come on our timeline, but it will come in God’s perfect way. Like Sarah, we may laugh at the absurdity of His promises, only to find ourselves marveling at His power. The question isn’t whether God can work miracles—it’s whether we’ll trust Him to do so. In the end, the greatest miracle may not be the change in our situation but the transformation of our hearts as we learn to wait on the One who holds eternity in His hands.