July 31, 2018
Genesis 18:1-4, 6-13 New Living Translation (NLT)
Our passage for today is special to my heart; I have internalized a promise from God for years. Sometimes it feels like our imparted dreams from God teeter between hope and the impossible. If you have felt that way, you are in good company with the biblical heroes of the faith. When God gives a promise, he never tells us how long it will be before it comes to pass. We have to stand by faith and believe that if the Lord says something is going to take place in our lives, it will.
In our passage today, Sarah struggles with hearing the Word of the Lord—she is promised a son—because it defies human logic and physical possibilities. Yet, like Sarah we must wrestle down those mindsets that demand God fit into human knowledge or experience. Love surpasses or goes beyond human knowledge. God is in charge of all things; He is the Creator of Life. So, if the Lord speaks to your heart, never abort the promise. Hang onto it and watch for him to bring it to pass in his time. Just as the Lord promised, Sarah had a son, Isaac, a year later.
Genesis 18:1-4, 6-13 A Son Is Promised to Sarah
1 The Lord appeared again to Abraham near the oak grove belonging to Mamre. One day Abraham was sitting at the entrance to his tent during the hottest part of the day. 2 He looked up and noticed three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he ran to meet them and welcomed them, bowing low to the ground.
3 “My lord,” he said, “if it pleases you, stop here for a while. 4 Rest in the shade of this tree while water is brought to wash your feet.
6 So Abraham ran back to the tent and said to Sarah, “Hurry! Get three large measures[a] of your best flour, knead it into dough, and bake some bread.” 7 Then Abraham ran out to the herd and chose a tender calf and gave it to his servant, who quickly prepared it. 8 When the food was ready, Abraham took some yogurt and milk and the roasted meat, and he served it to the men. As they ate, Abraham waited on them in the shade of the trees.
9 “Where is Sarah, your wife?” the visitors asked.
“She’s inside the tent,” Abraham replied.
10 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?”
13 Then the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh? Why did she say, ‘Can an old woman like me have a baby?’ 14 Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return about this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.”
Prayer: Lord, nothing is too difficult for you. Thank you for making promises in your Word and fulfilling them even when things seem impossible. You are Good and I trust you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.