Daily Bible Verse ~ Genesis 18:9-15

Posted On 2021-01-13

Genesis 18:9-15 They said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” And he said, “She is in the tent.” 10 The LORD said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife shall have a son.” And Sarah was listening at the tent door behind him. Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in years. The way of women had ceased to be with Sarah. So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I am worn out, and my lord is old, shall I have pleasure?” The LORD said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?’ Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.” But Sarah denied it, saying, “I did not laugh,” for she was afraid. He said, “No, but you did laugh.”

How do you respond to the promises of God? Let’s take a look at a couple of the verses.

verse 10 – So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I am worn out, and my lord is old, shall I have pleasure?”

And verse 14 – the men said, Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.”

A few years back Lori and I felt that the Lord was leading us to serve in the mission field. We had travelled to Uganda a few times and after our 4th trip we believed that we would be heading there again full time. So in February we took a trip to Guatemala to spend a week at a ministry center and pray and seek the Lord for direction. About half way into our time there the Lord laid it on our heart that there was a need for leaders at a location in Browning Montana. Yep, Browning Montana. So, rather than the thrill of serving the Lord in overseas missions, God was calling us 9 hours from our home town.

Want to know what my response was? You guessed it, I laughed. I said to Lori that there was no way I was going to go to Montana. It’s cold, and there’s snow. So that night I prayed and slept on it. And the next morning I believe the Lord said to me, “Keith, you’re going to Browning!”

I share this story for a couple of reasons. First, the blessings of God don’t always look like we think they are going to. Browning ended up being the perfect fit for our family and for our life. We learned so much about ministry, serving full time, and surrendering our own desires for the Lords. It also worked out well because we had three children shortly after we went to Browning get married within six months of each other. So being on US soil was the best thing that could have happened for us.

Another reason I share this story as they relate to today’s verses is this. Abraham was given the promise at the age of 75 years old. He was 100 when Sarah gave him a son. That’s 25 years from promise to fulfillment. Earlier in the book of Genesis we see that Sarah and Abraham try to fulfill the promise on their own by giving Hagar, Sarah’s maidservant, to him to bring forth the promised child. But that wasn’t how God planned to do it. So Sarah and Abraham waited many years before they saw the way God was going to fulfill His promise.

I know for me I often feel like I need “do things my way” like Sarah and Abraham. I want to rush ahead of God and “do great and mighty things” without Him. Geez God, why are you moving so slow?

The promise God had for them came to pass in his time and in his way. I wonder what things would have looked like if they hadn’t taken matters into their own hands and had Abraham sleep with Sarah’s maidservant?

There is a popular theory common among Muslims and some Christians that Arabian Muslims are direct descendants of Ishmael. In fact, according to the Quran, Muhammad was a major proponent of this idea, claiming to be a descendant of Ishmael.

So sometimes when we run ahead of God we cause more turmoil and challenges. But regardless of what we do, the promise of God will always come to pass and we will eventually see his blessing. Don’t rush the hand of God.

Sarah and Abraham had a son and they named him Isaac. A couple of years ago Lori and I were led to adopt our now 10 year old son from China. When we were led to adopt we both looked at each other and laughed… “We’re old, I said!” So in our old age God gave us a son. We didn’t change his Chinese name, but we did give him an American middle name. You guessed it… Isaac.

Digging Deeper:

Genesis 16

Apply It:

Wait on the Lord today. If he promised you something, He will surely provide for it in His time and in His way.

Prayer:

Lord, help me to be patient and not run ahead of you today. I pray you will fill me with your Spirit and give me the strength to wait. Amen