Faith Like Sarah

Faith Like Sarah/ Author: Cynthia Greene

The Bible story of Sarah is an example of faith, patience and trust, We read about her life in Genesis chapters 11 thru 23). God promised that Sarah would become a “mother of nations” and that Abraham’s descendants “would be as numerous as the stars in the sky”.

God is Faithful

Sarah was challenged to believe and have faith that God would fulfill His promise of a child when humanly it seemed impossible. At the time God made His promise Sarah was 75 years old and had been infertile and barren throughout their entire marriage. This was a shameful condition for a woman at that time. When she heard God’s promise Sarah laughed in unbelief.

We read: “Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, ‘After I have grown old, shall I have pleasure, my Lord being old also?’ (Gen. 18:12)

God replied: Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son. (Genesis 18:14)

God reminded Sara that nothing was impossible.  She was called to take God at His Word and remain faithful to Him while she waited for many years for the promised child.  Ultimately God gave her the strength to wait patiently for the promise to be fulfilled despite the seeming impossibility of infertility.  

God’s Timing is Perfect

Does this happen to you? Are you impatient when waiting on God to answer prayer? It is easy to be filled with fear and doubt. Often this can lead us to take matters into our own hands?

Back to the story of Sarah. Perhaps Sarah thought she was to blame, or was too old. Maybe God had forgotten about her, or that she was the reason that they had not conceived a child yet.  We read how Sarah took matters into her own hands and suggested that Abraham have a son through her handmaiden Hagar. At first with the birth of Ishmael it seemed that the promise had been fulfilled.  However, this was not according to God’s plan and this decision led to disharmony and jealousy that has remained throughout subsequent generations and exists to this day.

Ultimately, God’s timing was perfect. At age 90 Sarah was blessed with a child, Isaac, and lived another thirty-seven years. 

God’s Keeps His Promises

If God made this promise to Abraham alone, then it wouldn’t have mattered who the child’s mother was.  But God made this promise to both Abraham and Sarah together. The promised child was to be Sarah’s flesh and blood.  God kept His promise to Sarah.

“And the Lord visited Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did unto Sarah as he had spoken.” ( Genesis 21:1)

Just like Sarah, we too can trust God to fulfill His promises in our lives.  When we can’t see how things will work out in our lives we can still trust Him and know that He will never fail us. 

God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good? (Numbers 23;19)

Woman of Faith

Sarah was transformed from having doubt and unbelief to being one of the faithful listed in the book of Faith.  We read in Hebrews 11: 

Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised.Therefore, sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable. (Hebrews 11:11-12)

Her story gives us hope and is an example showing us how to have trust and patience when we find ourselves in a season of waiting.   We are reminded not to take things into our own hands, never limit God, and keep our trust and eyes on Him. Even when we can’t see Gods hand in our lives, He is always in control. Just like Sarah, we can trust God to do things in our life that seem impossible and be called faithful.

For with God nothing shall be impossible. (Luke 1:37)

But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one. (2 Thessalonians 3:3)

Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. (Matthew 25:23)

Journal Prompts

• What have you learned about God through the life of Sarah?
• What promise are you waiting for God to fulfill?
• What scriptures give you hope in your season of waiting?
• Who are women of Faith in your life?
• Do you trust God to do the impossible?
• How do you limit God when you pray? Do you believe in miracles?
• Do you speak about God’s power or about God’s seeming “limitations”?
• Where do you need to be transformed from doubt and unbelief to trusting in God for His faithfulness?