By Faith, Sarah?


Genesis 21:7 (ESV) And she said, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.”

 Sarah seems to reveal her heart in this moment.
She has finally given birth to a son for Abraham. The very thing she scoffed at has happened. God's Word has come true for her. Yet instead of extolling the Lord and giving thanks, she expresses some deep seated issues of the heart. It seemed to really bother her that other people knew she was barren and couldn't do what women were supposed to do. Now she is thinking about what they were never going to say and how they will say it now. 

Sarah's faith is listed in Hebrews and demands consideration in light of the record of the Genesis account. Notice: 
Hebrews 11:11 (ESV) By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised.

Sarah laughed at the Lord's prophecy of a child in Genesis 18.

Genesis 18:13–15 (ESV) The LORD said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?’ 14 Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.” 15 But Sarah denied it, saying, “I did not laugh,” for she was afraid. He said, “No, but you did laugh.”

Rebuked by the Lord, Sarah lied about it, but there was no doubt, she had her doubts. 

So we see a woman who is portrayed in a few negative ways. Yet, she is the woman through whom Isaac came - God's promised child. She foreshadows Mary in many ways as the mother of a miracle child, a son of Abraham. She represents the life of faith in a way I think many of us can relate to. Most of us believe God for things but still wonder about their possibility. Many of us think God's promises are about us and what people will say about us. These things Sarah did. These things we all do. 

Who doesn't often find themselves putting their reputation before the Lord's glory?
Who doesn't doubt the great things God is able to do and yet still see it happen?

Thomas doubted the resurrection. Does Jesus abandon him? Nope. He comes and reveals himself on a special occasion calling out Thomas to see for himself.

Sarah's faith is good news for the struggling among us. We may have our doubts, but God is faithful in spite of us. Which should regularly remind us that these promises to us are really about His glory, not ours.

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