Sarah, Her Lesson of Faith

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. Abraham gave the name Isaac to the son Sarah bore him. When his son Isaac was eight days old, Abraham circumcised him, as God commanded him. Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. Genesis 21:2-5

Sarah, one of the matriarchs of religion, certainly had her struggles with faith. Earlier in Genesis, when she overheard God tell Abraham that she would bear him a son, her reaction was disbelief - to the point of laughter! When confronted about it, she lied and said she didn't laugh.

But really, who could blame her for her disbelief? As one who struggled with infertility myself, I remember having times of absolute surety that God would answer my prayer - and times of despair, sure that His answer would be no.

So I don't blame Sarah for having her down moments. I mean, she was 90 years old! That's a long time to hold out hope and faith for a promise.

If I was going to blame her for anything, it would be for what comes next in the story. Remember, earlier in Genesis, so desperate for a child, she took matters into her own hands and had Abraham "lie" with her servant, Hagar, who bore a son, Ishmael.

Once Sarah has her child, she shows how little faith she truly had.

But Sarah saw that the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham was mocking, and she said to Abraham, “Get rid of that slave woman and her son, for that woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac.”. Genesis 21:9-10

She had seen God's miracle working power for herself. She had heard God's promise to build a nation from Abraham-not just any of Abraham's children, but her child with him! She knew that God had promised that their descendants would outnumber the stars of the sky.

Yet, once again, rather than trusting God, having faith in His promises, she took matters into her own hands again, and sent Hagar and Ishmael away.

Would God not take care of Isaac? Would He not take care of her?

Because of her lack of faith, two sons became two nations . . . Always at war.

Because of her lack of faith, an innocent woman and her son were sent into the desert. To die.

Because of her lack of faith, there were consequences for everyone to deal with - right through to present day.

How many times did God need to provide for her before she trusted Him?

Well, I don't know - how many times does He have to provide for you before you'll trust Him? For me?

If there's something we can glean from Sarah's life, it is that trusting God fully, giving Him all our faith, is what life with Him is really about.

Do you trust Him fully? Do you remember His promises? Do you remember all that He has already done for you?