And the Lord visited Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did unto Sarah as he had spoken. 2 For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him. 3 And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac. – Genesis 21: 1-3

From our perspective, one of the principle problems with God’s promise is not whether or not He will keep it. The problem is when will it ever be fulfilled? Noah had to wait one hundred years before the promised flood came. Israel had to wait forty years to get into the Promised Land. The world had to wait forty-two generations for Jesus to come. For us, the problem is not whether, but when.

Genesis 21: 2 gives us the answer to when God will fulfill His promises to us. He does it at the set time. “And the Lord visited Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did unto Sarah as he had spoken. 2 For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him.” God did exactly what He said He would do, but at the set time. What, then, is the significance of “at the set time?”

1. You can’t hurry God. Our mothers and fathers used to sing: “You can’t hurry God. No! No! You just have to wait. You got to trust Him and give Him time, no matter how long it takes. He’s a God that you can’t hurry. He’ll be there don’t you worry. He may not come when you want Him, but He’s always right on time.” How true it is!

2. The set time is not an isolated time. The timing of your promise is coordinated with other events about which you may not be aware. What is happening to you does not take place in isolation. “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8: 28)

3. The sovereignty of God gives Him the right to set the time. Just as God set the stars in their silvery sockets; just as God set the bounds of the sea which halts at the shore; just as God set the cycle of the seasons; God sets the pronouncement and fulfillment of each of our promises. It is absolutely and exclusively His prerogative. If we have a problem with that – too bad!

4. Make sure you are set when the set time comes. The promise which God has made to you has a set time. So, in the meantime, instead of complaining about how long it is taking, you should be preparing such that you will be ready to receive it when it comes. As He did with Sarah, God has promised to birth something new in your life, even in your old age. Is the nursery ready?