Sarah: The Delighted Reproductive Faith

 

Hebrews 11:11-13
By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past age, since she considered him faithful who had promised. Therefore, from one man, and him as good as dead, were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the sea shore.
 
Coming Attraction:
When we consider this special woman, Sarah, we are about to see something each and everyone of us would like to experience. I know I would want to have this as part of my life.  Please, check out what Hebrews 11:11-13, faith makes possible for our journeys:
  • God's timing overturning our human impossibility.
  • The laughter of faith, not cynicism, that fills us with delight.
  • God's generational promises that multiply exponentially long after you or I have departed planet Earth.
  • God's  shift from barrenness to blessing.
God's Timing
God's timing is not our timing. It is "much more better."  Think about Sarah. She had lived 90 years. She really wanted a baby.  All the women around her were producing children, but she was heart broken.  However, just at God's right moment and time.  He made a promise to her 100 year old husband that Sarah -- the 90 year old-- was going to have a baby!  Hallelujah! Millenia of generations celebrate that God's time was, and it still is, right.

Many of us go through those periods where we are struggling.  Life is a challenge, and we cry out, "HOW LONG,LORD?"  Like Sarah, we might just wonder, "Will God ever answer our prayers?"  The answer to these questions is clear.  In many cases, we would do well to simply hang on tight, by faith. God is a good God, and we can trust Him to do what is right. And He WILL do what is right, and the right moment and the right time. God still does the miraculous! His miracles overcome human impossibility.

The Laughter of Faith
 If you remember, Sarah was eaves dropping, while Abraham was having a conversation with God.  And she got an ear full!  She heard God tell Abraham, among other things,  "Abraham, you are going to be a father of many nations." Keep in mind, as I said before, Abe was 100 years old.  His wife, Sarah, was 90.  Now, many take Sarah's response as a bad thing. Why? Because she started laughing, and God heard her. God did not punish her, but he gave her a great name for a child yet to be born.  God called him Isaac. Isaac means "laughter."  

I say that there was nothing wrong with Sarah laughing, and I believe God was not disappointed with Sarah. I believe God was delighted in her because her laughter exemplified she was delighted in the promises of God.  I can imagine her thinking to herself, "Now think of that! God's gonna let me be pregnant, after ALL THESE YEARS," at the ripe old age of 90 years old!!! After all the longing disappointing years, now she was going to get to be a Mommy!!  

Dear Christ Follower, and Saint of God, don't give up, but give your struggles to God.  You are not alone.  Believe, and if you are doubting, ask God to help you be like Sarah, and imagine the impossible becoming possible by faith.  Be delighted in the Lord!  Let go and let God be in control!

God's Generational Promises

When God makes promises to you and me, it is important to know that how each of us responds, yes, it impacts us; however, our faith filled response might just impact generations to come.  Sarah, and Abraham's faith has impacted a multitude of lives for good for multiplied millennia of generations.  Isaac was not the only child born. God describes the numbers born like the numbers of the stars in heaven and even the number of grains that can be found on the sea shore.  Wow! That's a lot of people, and while the language may be hyperbole, or not, the numbers are in the millions that are born from a man, and a woman whose bodies were dried up, and they were both WAY past child bearing age.

Your faith, and my faith can be a faith that makes a difference. Your faith, and my faith, can impact generations to come.  Let us take up the challenge of changing lives for good, for generations to come, and for the glory of God.

The God Shift From Barrenness To Blessing:

Final thought: God took Sarah, because of her faith, from barrenness to blessing.  We live in challenging times.  In some places, where some of you are reading this blog, you are living in down right dangerous times.  Things are scarce, life is challenging, serving Jesus is a big challenge. Elsewhere, folks are living in a spiritual battle. Emotions are on edge or depressed. Relationships are going through the fire. Or at least they are not the best. Finances may be in a strain. And health issues are in a category all their own... challenging.

Jesus tells us how He would like us to demonstrate our faith during these difficult times.  Let us pray. And we can pray, "God we believe! Help us overcome our unbelief."  God will answer. Additionally, Jesus tells, we who are Christ Followers,  "Seek first the Kingdom of God, and everything else will be added." If we embrace this teaching by faith, in our barren situation, God will take care of each of us. Let us completely surrender all that we are to God Almighty.  Let us live by Faith. And let us trust God to move us from a place of barrenness to blessing.  

Challenge:
  • Will we trust God's timing?
    • Will we let it over turn our human impossibility?
  • Will we allow ourselves to be delighted in the Lord by faith?
  • Will we trust God, by faith so that, not only will we be blessed to be a blessing, our faith in action will be a blessing to our children, our grandchildren, our great grandchildren to a thousand generations.
  • Finally will we so believe in our God that we will allow Him to walk us from barrenness to blessing?
Prayer

Dear God,
Please have mercy on us, and grant that we would all receive, from Your Holy Spirit, the gift of faith. Let us have the grace to have faith in Your perfect timing.  And let it be the kind of faith of Sarah. Let our faith be a delighted reproductive faith. Please, Lord, make us to be blessed to be a blessing for our day and reproduce this faith for many generations to come. Finally, dear Lord, help us walk, by faith, from barrenness to blessing for Your Glory, Honor, and Praise.
In Jesus Name.
Amen.

SoJourner

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