We all suffer from time to time and my own way of dealing with this apparent rejection is to recall the day, many years ago now when I recognised there really was a God and that I needed to get baptised as thousands had done before me.
Whatever my/your reasons were to get baptised, those reasons have not changed, whatever it was we learned through scripture that took us to baptism remains unchanged. It’s very hard or perhaps I should say “testing” to know that sometimes the one who could help us as we go through life doesn’t appear to see us in our times of distress. Why is this, why does He do this… Thoughts like this might weaken our faith but it doesn’t, isn’t that strange?
HEBREWS 11: 6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
Here’s an example of faith that for me seems epic. Of course, it is the faith of Abraham but just like us his faith did waver now and then (Gen 12:20).
Gen 12 God instructed Abram who was 75 to leave his country, his people and his father’s household and go… somewhere, somewhere else, another land, and he went. God also told him he would make him into a great nation, wow, this is all great stuff, no doubt he set off eagerly with his wife Sarai on their way to Canaan.
When he got to Canaan God once again told him “to your offspring I will give this land.” Abram reached 99 and still he was childless but still full of faith, ok, he did laugh when God told him he was going to have a son but wouldn’t you at 99? I think I might have laughed but then thought…this is God telling me this, it’s crazy but… I wonder, and we know what happened, Sarai gave birth to Isaac.
Abram retained his grip on his faith throughout but like us, he wavered yet never let go.
God most certainly can respond to prayer and at times responds to degrees that are way beyond our wildest dreams.
11 And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered him faithful who had made the promise. 12 And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.
Let’s just look at the facts here.
Abraham was 99 years old; childless and barren Sarah was 90. But if you think that is awesome how about what comes next!
12 And so from this one man, (Abraham) and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.
I particularly like verse 5 from Genesis 15… 2 But Abram said, “Sovereign Lord, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 And Abram said, “You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir.”
4 Then the word of the Lord came to him: “This man will not be your heir, but a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir.” 5 He took him outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”
6 Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness. So, who were those descendants of Abraham and Sarah, those descendants, “as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore?"
They were the Jews, the Christians, Islam and a few other religions. Absolutely nothing is impossible for God. Genesis 17. 16 I will bless her (Sarai) and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.”
17 Abraham fell facedown; he laughed and said to himself, “Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?” But Sara also laughed at this… Gen 18:12 Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him.
11 Abraham and Sarah were already very old, and Sarah was past the age of childbearing. 12 So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, “After I am worn out and my lord is old, will I now have this pleasure?”
13 Then the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really have a child, now that I am old?’ 14 Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return to you at the appointed time next year, and Sarah will have a son.”
We can easily understand why they laughed but God seems a bit taken aback at this as if they should have accepted God’s word without doubt. 13 Then the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh?” This was of course long before Jesus walked among us.
You may not agree and that’s fine but I feel there are several occasions in scripture when Jesus had to pass on to God what he had experienced as a man walking among men, that we do have doubts and weaknesses.
It makes me feel that God overestimated how frail we all are. Later on, when Jesus arrived on the scene and experienced human frailty I’m sure he must have described man’s inner feelings to his father when he too was tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. (Hebrews 4:15 )
We hear so much about Abraham but what about faithful Sarah, what do we know of her? Sarah is the sister of Abraham but they had different mothers. Terah was the father of both Sarai and Abram. Childless for 90 years and probably wondering what she had done to deserve this she ultimately became the mother of nations!
Sarah is the only woman in the Bible whose name was changed by God. Sarah was blessed by God to become a royal princess. She would be a mother of nations to come. She would also be a mother of kings of peoples. Royal lineages would come from her. She would be the mother of the royal line of King David from which the Saviour would come.
Because Sarah had been unable to have children for many years, she decided to give her handmaid, Hagar, to her husband in order to obtain children by her. This was not how God intended to give Abraham and Sarah an heir, but was a mistake from which they learned to more fully trust in God.
So even faithful Sarah showed that all of us we can drop our guard but still receive God’s grace and forgiveness. We are children of promise as Isaac was. Sarah and Abraham are now counted as our ancestors in the faith. They will be counted as the parents of many believing nations. “And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Galatians 3:29).
Now especially is a time to keep the faith as the whole world around us is shaken by wars, rumours of wars, droughts, floods, famines and diseases. Keep praying, keep the faith and through the power of prayer we will all enjoy fellowship once again inside God's the little ark in Suggitt’s Lane Cleethorpes.
