Day Five: Sarah – Trusting God Despite Circumstances
Today’s Reading: Hebrews 11:11; Genesis 21:1-7
Introduction: Sarah was already past her childbearing years when God told her she would have a son (Genesis 18:11). Her first response when she heard the Lord tell this to Abraham was to laugh (Genesis 18:12). We don’t know why she laughed, but it doesn’t appear to have been initially a laughter of joy. More likely, it was an expression of skepticism. She and Abraham had already given up on the idea of her having children. In Genesis 16, we find that she told Abraham to have a child by her handmaid, Hagar. He did this and Ishmael was conceived. Against this backdrop, Sarah was confronted with her lack of faith as the Lord promised she would bear a son. Sarah denied she was skeptical of this promise when the Lord confronted her about it (Genesis 18:13-15), but God knew what she was really thinking. Despite her initial skepticism, though, Sarah adjusted and believed God’s promise and joined in the blessing of trusting God even when it didn’t make sense.
Application: Probably many couples well past childbearing age would be skeptical if someone told them they were going to have a child, even if it were the Lord who told them. We have been so conditioned by the world as we experience it that we tend to act as though the miraculous doesn’t really happen. Or, we might think that God still performs miracles, but we don’t really expect Him to do something as miraculous as this for us. Sarah almost certainly did express skepticism at first. Nevertheless, God came through with His promise when Sarah was ninety years old. Circumstances are not a problem for God. If He wants to do something a particular way, He will make it happen. Even if something doesn’t appear reasonable, God will make a way. We should trust Him to keep His promises.
Prayer: Dear Lord, I confess that sometimes I am too limited in my belief in what You can do. Help me to trust You even when everything around me tells me that isn’t how the world works. I want to be someone who lives above the circumstances of life and receives the blessing that comes with such faith. I trust You. Amen.