Then one of them said, “I will return to you about this time next year, and your wife, Sarah, will have a son!”
Sarah was listening to this conversation from the tent. 11 Abraham and Sarah were both very old by this time, and Sarah was long past the age of having children. 12 So she laughed silently to herself and said, “How could a worn-out woman like me enjoy such pleasure, especially when my master—my husband—is also so old?” (Genesis 18:10-12, NLT)
Regard:
The story of Thomas needing proof that Jesus was alive and not a ghost at Easter, can also remind us of a different time where God’s prophecy and promise were not enough to satisfy the human mind and that is when the angel visited Abraham and Sarah to tell them they were going to have a baby the following year. Because she was very old and long past the season of menopause and at an age where women no longer menstruate, Sarah refused to take the angel’s message to heart, but instead laughed. Of course, her proof came as her belly increased in size and the baby’s movement could be felt within her womb and months later when Isaac was born.
Like Thomas, thousands of years later, we should not be too hard on Sarah’s response. What she knew was women did not have babies at ninety and their husband was ninety-nine. God proved to Sarah, Abraham and Thomas that he is greater than traditions, able to work outside the norm and expected, and able to do anything he wants within the time frame he chooses. Thomas had to wait only a short time until Jesus showed up to have his prayer request answered, but Sarah and Abraham had to wait decades, until they were up in age, to experience parenthood and know it was true that Abraham would have the heir he desired, and God promised. Whether we are needing to wait for a short time or like Sarah and Abraham, for decades, we can know God never forfeits a promise he has made and while we are waiting God will find ways to show us, he is both powerful and a promise-keeper.
Reflect:
What words, phrases, and activities of God stand out to you in this passage?
How does this passage speak to your heart of faith right now? Do you have a prayer request you have been waiting for God to answer?
How does this passage make you feel?
Respond in Prayer and Life-Changing Faith
Father, I know there is a message in this passage for me. Help me to see and receive it fully. What are you saying to me through the story of Abraham and Sarah? What would you like me to do or become through what I have read, and how can I apply what I have read to my own life and circumstances? Amen
Devotionally Yours 