He Remains...

"And the Lord visited Sarah as He had said, and the Lord did for Sarah as He had spoken. For Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him. And Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him—whom Sarah bore to him—Isaac. Then Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him. Now Abraham was one hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. And Sarah said, 'God has made me laugh, and all who hear will laugh with me.' She also said, 'Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? For I have borne him a son in his old age.'"

Genesis 21:1-7

Consider the placement of this text. Chapter 20 details the Abraham's digression back into sin. He has traveled south and whenever that happens, his faith goes south as well! Abraham and Sarah defrauded Abimelech, lying about their true status as a married couple. They were caught "red handed" They had conspired to lie in chapter 20 and were now being blessed by God in chapter 21!

In our way of thinking, Abraham and Sarah's bad behavior should disqualify them from receiving God's blessing. Sure, if chapter 20 had documented a spiritual high point, we might understand God's blessing of them in chapter 21. But one almost wants to ask God if He read that chapter! "Did you not see that Abraham lied because of his fear and that he admitted that this was a perpetual practice? Some will cry "foul," but the older we get in the Lord, the more we understand that God cannot be anything else but faithful to Himself and His promises! He is devoted to keeping His promises despite our failings. Listen to how the Apostle Paul puts it:

"This is a faithful saying: For if we died with Him, We shall also live with Him. If we endure, We shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us. If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself."

II Timothy 2:11-14

God made a promise and He kept it to a couple that at times, would not believe that God would bring it to pass. What an example to you and I? Even when we are faithless, He remains faithful. I'm glad that's the way that it is. His loving faithfulness draws me and you to a faithful response!

What Is It?

"Then the Lord rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the Lord out of the heavens. So He overthrew those cities, all the plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. But his wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt."

Genesis 19:24-26

The Lord is responsible for this judgment upon Sodom. Everything that was once lush and full of life is now lifeless. Among the casualties: Lot's wife. The angels had given one message that could be summarized in 5 words: "Get out, don't look back!" Earlier, Lot had to be hurried out and it's obvious that Mrs. Lot, taking the cue from her husband, was also fond of her home. Her love for her home in the city of wickedness is seen in the phrase "she looked back." The connotation seems to indicate more than just a quick glance. It was a long look of desire.

Why did she look back? Jesus Himself gives us a clue in the New Testament. In Luke 17, Jesus is using Sodom and Gomorrah as an illustration of His own return and makes a special reference to Mrs. Lot.

"In that day, he who is on the housetop, and his goods are in the house, let him not come down to take them away. And likewise the one who is in the field, let him not turn back. Remember Lot’s wife. Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it."

Luke 17:31-33

The suddeness of Christ's coming will leave you with no time to turn back. Likewise with Lot's wife, something from what was being destroyed called to her. She wanted to preserve it. She wanted to possess it. In the end, the love of "it" destroyed her! Whatever "it" was to Lot's wife, has come to represent to us that which we would lose our life in Christ for. What could it be for you? What attraction of the world beckons to you? It's on the queue for destruction, but you look longingly at it. Is it a habit? A possession? Whatever it is, Jesus spends three words reminding us that nothing is worth losing our real lives, the lives lived in Him, for!

God Of The Impossible

"And the Lord said to Abraham, 'Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I surely bear a child, since I am old?’ Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.' But Sarah denied it, saying, 'I did not laugh,' for she was afraid. And He said, 'No, but you did laugh!"

Genesis 18:13-16

God gives a direct word to Abraham for Sarah. "Is anything too hard for the Lord?" Maybe it's a question that you should ponder today. For Sarah, she was an 89 year old, post-menopausal woman, who was going to bear a child in about a year, through completely conventional means! That seems fairly unbelieveable, don't you think?

"Is anything too hard for me as a human?" Yes. Life is overwhelming at times. Situations that we face, self imposed and those imposed upon us, are often unfathomable in scope. For humans, everything is too hard on occasion. But that is not the case for Creator God, the Almighty, All sufficient, All powerful One!

God is promising to bring life from a dead womb. To them, it was an impossibility, but God is the God who makes possible that which we once thought impossible. Is your situation too hard for the Lord? That child, that spouse, that job, that lack of job. Which fits in the category "Too hard for the Lord?" The answer, if you know even a little bit about God is "none!"

Will you trust that situation to Him again today? Yeah, it might make you laugh to think that it could happen and God sees that laughter. In the end, my part of His miraculous deeds will be the unbelief that He worked in spite of! His work will be done to show His faithfulness, not mine. Thankfully, He didn't need Sarah's faith and He certainly doesn't need mine to be the God of the impossible!

What He WILL Do!

"And Abraham said to God, 'Oh, that Ishmael might live before You!' Then God said: 'No..."

Genesis 17:18,19a

Just listen to the plaintive voice of Abraham: "Oh that Ishmael might live before you." He wants to talk God into accepting Ishmael as the promised descendant, through whom, the Messiah would come. Ishmael was created through Sarah's suggestion, by Abraham's strength, through worldly means, and most importantly, without God's endorsement. Ishmael was a prized product of Abraham's flesh. Ishmael represents the products of our flesh life. He is the perfect prototype.

Abraham loved Ishmael and wanted God to bless him. There is nothing wrong with that, but what Abraham is asking is out of place. Abraham has made a huge decision without consulting God and is now asking God to bless it!

Have you ever done that? Consider these scenarios:

"I have just bought this home and didn't consult the Lord. Could you please bless this mess AND give me the money that I didn't have in the first place!?"

"I have married without God's permission. Can you now make it right!? Can you make THEM right!?"

"I took this job and never asked for God's approval. Can He tweak a few things and make it the dream job that He promised to give?"

I wish that we can all hear this. The answer to the question, "Will you bless my fleshly efforts?" is a simple, direct "no." "Will He bless your attempts to content yourself apart from His hand of provision?" NO! Sadly, He will not endorse such things.

God won't bless the works of our flesh, but He will bring new life. He can be faithful to His promise in spite of our impatience and failure to perfectly, obediently wait for His best. From Sarah, her name meaning, "noblewoman," He'll bring Isaac, meaning, "laughter." That's what He always intended to bring. That's what He wants to bring into your life as well! Instead, Abraham and Sarah settled for their own plan, which had not produced what they hoped that it would, namely the promised covenant descendant. Will you wait on Him or rush ahead, relying on your own strength, wisdom and resources to bring about the best for your life?

The life, the promise, the wisdom, the answer, the mate, etc. that God wants to bring into your life is worth the wait, because that will always result in laughter, joy, excitement and blessing!