How many times a day do you receive the response, “Just a minute”? Perhaps you’ve asked your children to wash up and come to the dinner table or asked your spouse to lend you a hand or asked your mom or dad to read you a book or help with your homework. Many times we receive “Just a minute,” instead of an immediate “Yes mam,” or “I’m coming.”
In situations such as these, we may be in the middle of something that we want to finish, or we may not want to do what’s being asked of us, or we may simply be a natural procrastinator. There are times where that’s okay and no harm is done, but there are other times where hesitation is not so good.
Why do we hesitate, for there are times when hesitation proves disastrous? When we hesitate, we delay momentarily, we hold back because of doubt or indecision. If a base runner hesitates when stealing a base in a baseball game, he’s out. If a quarterback hesitates in delivering a pass, he’s usually intercepted or sacked. If policemen, firefighters, or doctors are hesitant in their response, lives can be lost. Hesitation is rooted in fear and indecision.
Some folk would say, “I’m not hesitant, I’m just careful,” but hesitation is quite different from being careful. Being careful is an indication that we’re working through the process, remaining true to our training, beliefs, or faith. Base runners and quarterbacks, firefighters and doctors, they’re careful in their study. They’re careful in their practice. They’re careful in the development of their game plan, so that game time does not result in hesitation, but in response.
Being careful is an indication that we’ve committed ourselves to a process of faith and belief that prepares us to respond instinctively out of obedience and trust, while hesitation is a sign of indecision, an indication that we’re holding back, reluctant in what we’re doing or being asked to do, unwilling or unable to commit, because of lack of training or faith. Hesitation is rooted in fear.
In this morning’s scripture, Abraham is far from hesitant. As a father, I can only imagine what must’ve been running through his mind when he was asked to sacrifice his son, Isaac. He didn’t hesitate because his training and his faith in God had prepared him to respond, not hesitate.
The New King James Version translates God’s imperative as, “Take now your son, Isaac, whom you love.” Take now. Abraham responds; no hesitation. What is God asking you to “Take now?” Where is God asking you to respond and not hesitate?
The truth is that we’re our own worst enemy when it comes to “Take Now,” and far too often, it’s in the relationships with those closest to us that we refuse to “Take now,” which makes those relationships far less than what they’re intended to be. We hold back, we’re hesitant when it comes to our relationships with our spouses, our children, and our parents, because we’re afraid. We’re afraid of rejection, so we hold back. We’re afraid of separation, so we hesitate. We’re afraid that if someone gets too close, even our own family, they might actually see who we are, and we’re scared to let someone get that close.
Bert’s been doing a book study about the Five Love Languages of a Teenager. The Five Love Languages Series is based upon the premise that we each have a primary method through which we receive and understand love. We each have a love language. For instance, if your love language is touch, then love is communicated to you when your spouse or child or parent holds your hand or hugs you. If your love language is words of affirmation, then love is communicated to you when you hear, “I love you,” or “You look really great day,” or “You were a big help to me, thank you.” If your love language is quality time, then love is communicated to you when your loved spends time with you.
If you don’t know your loved one’s primary love language, you can easily miscommunicate. If words of affirmation express love to you, but your loved one tries to show you love by spending quality time with you, while quality time is great, it doesn’t communicate love. This isn’t to say that you don’t appreciate the quality time, just that you feel the greatest sense of love through words of affirmation.
Many times we’re hesitant in our relationships because we’re unwilling to communicate in the love language that resonates with our loved ones. We hold back, because expressing love in the way that is most meaningful to our spouse or our children requires that we become vulnerable. It requires that we step out of the shadows and allow ourselves to be seen. “Take now” means making the other person a priority and sacrificing a bit of who we are.
There are men out there who quit hugging their daughters and showing them affection once they start turning the corner from child to young lady. If you’re one of those men, shame on you. Don’t deny your children your love and affection. “Take now” means removing the wall that you feel so safe behind, which doesn’t really keep you safe, but rather sacrifices some of the most sacred and intimate moments of your life.
“Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love and offer him as a burnt offering.” Take now your façade of comfort, take now your perceived wall of security and offer it God. God wants this of you, and don’t hesitate. Whatever you’re holding on to, pales in comparison to what was asked of Abraham, but if you’ll offer it to God, much like Abraham, you will find fulfillment and deliverance.
The same is true with our neighbor. We allow the intoxicating affects of bitterness and anger to insulate us from some of our dearest friends, all because we’re unwilling to “take now.” “Take now” means seeking out forgiveness, going to that friend and asking that they forgive you because of the bitterness and resentment that you’ve been carrying with you. “Take now” means granting forgiveness, because you’ve been holding a grudge. Here again, “take now,” means setting aside part of who we are, for bitterness and anger eventually become part of who we are. We just fail to realize it.
When we hold on to bitterness and anger, we think it gives us with a certain fuel, a certain purpose, a certain feeling; some sort of righteousness. But the truth is that it takes a greater amount of our energy to sustain the bitterness than it does to “take now.” “Take now” the bitterness would remove part of who we are, for we use the bitterness as a shield.
Take now might mean vulnerability, the possibility of being hurt, the possibility of admitting that we’re wrong, or the possibility that God would ask something of us. It’s easier to hide behind the wall of pride and bitterness than it is to “take now” and allow God to lead us. Abraham’s pride in being a father didn’t cause him to hesitate and “take now.”
“Take now” also has serious spiritual consequences. Again, hesitation is born out of fear, and when we’re confronted with a “take now,” and we hesitate, we need to ask ourselves, “What am I scared of?” When we can’t or won’t “take now,” it shows that we really don’t believe that God will find a way into the future. We don’t believe that God can strengthen us to speak a new love language with our spouse or children. We don’t believe that God can replace our bitterness and strengthen us in seeking to repair a broken relationship. We don’t believe that God will call us out as a new creation.
God promised Abraham that he would be the father of a great nation. Isaac is Abraham’s only legitimate son, the seed of the Israeli race. In asking this of Abraham, is God reneging on his promise? No. God gave Isaac to Abraham at a time when Abraham thought he could not have children; maybe God’s planning to give Abraham more children. We don’t always understand God’s reasons or God’s timing.
We don’t know in this instance. Abraham didn’t know, but he had faith that God would fulfill his promise. God would find a way to lead him into the future. Abraham didn’t understand it, but his faith told him that God would provide.
“Take now” is an admonition that we trust that God has our best interests at heart. We hesitate because of our fear. We hesitate because we’re being asked to step out of our comfort zone and delve into a deeper relationship with our spouse, our children, and our neighbor. We’re being asked to delve into a deeper relationship with God.
We hesitate because we’re being asked to set aside our limited understanding in how things should be done. We hesitate because we have a limited understanding of God’s timing. We hesitate because we’re being asked to set aside our pride and resentment and make peace with our neighbor. We hesitate because we’re being asked to make ourselves transparent and vulnerable.
Look at your job. Look at your spouse. Look at your children. Look at your friends. Look at your church. Look at your relationship with God. I feel certain that if you’re honest with yourself, you’ll see several areas where you need to “take now.” What is God telling you to “take now?” Don’t hesitate, but respond. Take now.
