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Sarah was born into a culture where having a child is
important. She went into marriage with the expectation
of having children. This was a perfectly normal desire
for her to have. After so many years of barrenness, she
came up with the idea of having a family through her
maid servant [Genesis 16:1-4]. She was
willing to do practically anything to fulfill this
desire. It was definitely not God’s perfect plan for
her. The amazing thing was that God had his best for her
– a child from her own womb. God also said to
Abraham, "…I will bless her and will surely give you a
son by her…
Genesis 17:15-16.
By the time God
voiced his will for her, she had more or less given up.
She had adjusted to Ishmael. Physically, she was old and
definitely past the child bearing age [Genesis
18:11].
All she had longed for all her life and even schemed to
achieve in her own way, was offered to her on a platter
of gold; yet all she could do was to laugh in unbelief
[Genesis
18:12].
God is gracious. He confronted her and reassured her at
the same time. Then the LORD said to Abraham, "Why
did Sarah laugh and say, `Will I really have a child,
now that I am old?' Is anything too hard for the LORD?
I will return to you at the appointed time next year and
Sarah will have a son." Sarah was afraid, so she lied
and said, "I did not laugh." But he said, "Yes, you did
laugh." Genesis 18:13-15.
Sarah and Abraham kept
faith [Romans
4:18-21].
As God promised, at that same time the following year,
Sarah gave birth to Isaac. Now the LORD was
gracious to Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did for
Sarah what he had promised. Sarah became pregnant and
bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the very time
God had promised him. Gen 21:1-7.
My
brother, my sister, what is it you are believing God
for? Is it a life partner, a child, a job, a weight
loss, etc? What ever, if it is important to you, then it
is important to God. It is perfectly ok for you to
desire it. Do not let the devil or other people lay the
guilt on you that it is not a spiritual need; therefore,
it is canal for you to want such. Sarah’s deep desire
for a child is rooted in the culture she came from. In a
lot of African cultures, having a child after marriage
is paramount, while in western society, the choice to
have a child is personal. Conversely, weight loss in the
western society is of great importance to many over
weight women; while in the African culture, such is not
a big deal. Many times in the process of spiritualizing
our lives, we feel condemned for having these desires.
After years of believing God to fulfill our expectation,
with seemly no result; we take matters into our own
hands. Sarah offered her maid servant to her husband to
have a child through her. Just like Sarah, we have
plotted and schemed to actualize our desires. For a
couple expecting an issue, adoption has been done out of
frustration (listen, adoption is ok if you know it is
the will of God for you). A sister desperate to get
married has falling into the sin of fornication just to
make the man propose. A woman desiring to loose weight
has grown content with shopping for clothes which
complement her present figure.
Sometimes helping
ourselves has been ‘successful’ and sometime a complete
disaster. No matter the result, it is still not God’s
best for you. The good news is that God is gracious.
Ishmael was not God’s best for Abraham and Sarah, but
God still blessed the child. Not only that, God went
ahead to promise them Isaac. No matter what the outcome
of your maneuvering has produced, God’s plans for you
have not changed. For I know the plans I have for
you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not
to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future
Jeremiah 29:11.
Right from the beginning, God had spoken to Abraham
about his seed (a child). God’s promise had been with
him from the start. Initially, it was not so specific
that this seed/child will come through Sarah. After
Ishmael, the next time God spoke to Abraham he confirmed
that this promised child will come through Sarah
[Genesis 17]. Later on God was specific about
the timing [Genesis 18]. Concerning your
situation, God may have spoken many time through
personal revelation of His word, dreams, visions or/and
prophecies.
You may be at that point that Abraham was
when God gave him the promise about his offspring; or
years later when God told him that his offspring will
come through Sarah; or when God told Sarah that by this
time next year she will have a child. The fulfillment of
God’s promise to you may be years away or a few days or
just around the corner. No matter the stage you are in,
God is faithful. Continue to believe; continue to hold
on to God’s word. Are you in unbelief right now? You say
to yourself: after all these years when I have grown
old; how can I have a child; or how appealing am I to
attract the opposite sex into marriage, or after all
those diets with no results.
Sarah laughed in unbelief.
God did not take back his promise as a result. Instead,
God confronted her. God is confronting you now, “Is
anything too hard for me to do?” Repent and start afresh
to hold on to God’s word for you. God is good. Sooner or
later, you will say like Sarah, "God has brought
me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will
laugh with me." And she added, "Who would have said to
Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have
borne him a son in his old age." Genesis 21:6-7
Do Not
Give Up © Olabisi Adeyi 2007 All rights reserved.
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