Key Passage: Genesis 18
Key Word: Hebrews 11:11 – “…because she judged Him faithful who had promised.”
We are not all wired the same way. Some people are emotional and react a lot from their emotions. Some are more reflective and use their minds a lot. Others are in-between. Whatever point of the spectrum we fall, we all make decisions and carry out our convictions, regardless of how we got to the conviction. Abraham had many encounters with God. He was a man of experiential faith. God spoke to him personally many times and appeared to him, so Abraham in a sense had more experiences of God than Sarah had.
But the text today, shows us by faith Sarah herself, received strength to conceive seed and had a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised. It is not enough to have a believing spouse or a believing father or mother or sibling. We all must develop our personal faith. Other people’s faith can carry you on the journey for a season, but there comes a time, when you must find God your self and get your faith going.
Faith is more personal than corporate. I believe this is one of the reasons why some people get certain miracles and others don’t. There are definitely other reasons, like timing and God’s knowledge of things. But the woman with the issue of blood was not marked for a miracle that day, but she provoked her miracle because she pressed into God and touched Him. Jesus was quite surprised at this and He remarked that someone had touched Him.
For years, Sarah had listened to Abraham’s Testimonies about God’s encounters and God’s promises. She was a loyal and dutiful wife and she definitely respected her husband, so she followed him. But the day came, when God spoke to her directly in Genesis 18. She laughed, not a laugh of unbelief like a lot of people say, but a life of expectation. The laugh of would this thing still happen? Am I still going to have this joy? “Therefore Sarah laughed to herself, saying, After I have become aged shall I have pleasure and delight, my lord (husband), being old also?” Shall I still have this pleasure? It was also a laugh that signifies she will laugh. So it was a deposit from God.
How did Sarah develop her faith?
The bible tells us exactly how she arrived at her faith and was able to receive the strength to conceive seed and hold the baby till full term, despite her old age. She judged Him faithful who had promised. So Sarah, being a practical woman, with her feet on the ground, one who used her mind a lot, did her research and looked at all the evidence and with overwhelming proof, she judged God as faithful. She did not arrive at her conclusions by her emotions or experiences alone, she dug deep and asked many questions and then finally she ended with the statement “God is FAITHFUL”.
This is deep. She said to herself that God never fails. That God always delivers what He has promised. That God has no record of failure. That God always shows up on time. That God is never late. That God will do what He says He would do. God can be trusted. She then made up her mind that though there were huge physical evidences against what God said, God is too powerful and too faithful to say what He cannot do. So if He said it, He would definitely do it. And the rest like they say is history.
Are you facing impossibility in your life? Are you facing an immovable mountain? Are you looking at some physical evidences that say you are sick, you are terminal, you can’t recover, you can’t get out of this? Are you deep in debt and don’t have a way out? Whatever you may be facing, I want you to know that God is Faithful. If you would call on Him, believe His promises, you will certainly overcome and He will come through for you.
We all can develop the faith of Sarah.
Let us pray: Father God, You are faithful. You never fail. Please help me today to lay hold of your promises in my situation and let the reality of your promises overshadow the physical evidences that are confronting me. Lord, you are God and nothing is impossible for you. I believe, please help me to receive. In Jesus name I pray. Amen