Eleventh Hour

The 4/21 verse of the day is from Romans 4:21, “He was absolutely convinced that God was able to do anything he promised.” (NLT)

My husband often recounts the story of taking our, then, teenage daughter and her friend to Madison Square Garden for Christmas to see one of her favorite bands. He did not have tickets, but he wasn’t concerned. Being from NYC and somewhat of an avid concert aficionado throughout his life, he had a good track record of getting into shows. He promised her they would get tickets and she was convinced that he would deliver on that promise.

What my husband didn’t realize was that Dave Matthews was really the bomb at that time. His concerts always sold out. This Garden concert was no exception. We had driven all the way from Lexington, KY to “The City”, as my husband affectionately calls his beloved NYC. Upon arriving, they found out that the previous night’s show had sold out and that only a limited amount of people without tickets had gotten into the show after standing on the cancelled tickets line for many hours. He was still confident, though. He always got tickets!

After 4 hours in the cancelled ticket line, my daughter started to get a little concerned. She said, “Dad, are we going to get tickets?” He had been praying silently the entire time, something to the tune of, “God, I promised my little girl we would get into this show. Please help me deliver on my promise.” He told her, "yes", they would get tickets. She smiled, reassured that they would get in. Her friend looked like she would cry. My husband started thanking God for something that looked like it was going to be impossible. The warm up band was playing and The Dave Matthews Band was due to come onto the stage at any moment. Talk about the Eleventh hour!

Suddenly, what had seemed impossible happened. The man who had been in front of them in the line had witnessed their conversation. He knew they had driven all the way from KY. In an act of kindness, he decided to call a friend whom he knew could get tickets. He left the line and returned shortly with 3 tickets. They weren’t cheap, but he said he understood how important getting into the show was to the girls, and decided to help. My husband jumped at the chance to fulfill his promise to our daughter and snapped up the tickets. He silently thanked God for making a way for the impossible to become a reality. A great time was had by all, and they ended up in specially made box seats right by the stage!

This story sort of reminds me of the confidence Abraham had in God. God had promised Abraham that he would be the father of many nations and that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars. Abraham believed God; he was convinced that his father could do what he promised. Then the bible goes on to say, “even though such a promise seemed utterly impossible.”

Abraham and his wife, Sarah, were not young when God promised these things to him. They were much more likely to be pushing walkers than strollers and Sarah had never been able to have children. She even chuckled at the absurdity of having a baby at her age. Yet, Abraham “believed” what the Lord had promised him. Because of his belief, God declared him righteous and, after some time, gave them a child, Isaac. Considering the circumstances, it had seemed utterly impossible that Abraham would father many nations and descendants, but God had promised that he would. Abraham believed God and the impossible became a reality.

I want to be like Abraham and believe God’s promises. I don’t want to give up when it seems like God has forgotten me, or I think it’s too late for anything to happen. God’s word is true and He gives us many promises, therein. I am convinced that God is able to do anything he promised…I choose to believe Him. After all, He’s got a great track record.