Genesis 21

“The Lord came 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 appointed time God had told him. Abraham named his son who was born to him – the one Sarah bore to him - Isaac. When his son Isaac was eight days old, Abraham circumcised him, as God had commanded him. Abraham was 100 years old when his son Isaac was born to him. Sarah said, ‘God has made me laugh, and everyone who hears will laugh with me.’ She also said, ‘Who would have told Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.’” Genesis 21:1-7 (HCSB)

God fulfills His covenant promises. That is the theme of today’s chapter. God is faithful to His Word, whether His promises are to His “Chosen” people (Hebrews like Abraham and Sarah) or the Goyim (Gentiles like Hagar and Ishmael). We learn faithfulness by experiencing His faithfulness…often through trials, which can only be endured by God’s intervention.

In my life, I have faced difficulty and cried out to God. In my desperation, I wanted to hear God say, “I’ll take care of it immediately!” Most often, though, I have heard the retort, “Trust Me.” Then, silence…for what seemed like an eternity. The heat would grow, and I’d be an emotional wreck. Still, the echo, “Trust Me.” I would struggle, groan, cry, and wail, but eventually, God would make good on His promise.

After all these years as a believer, I have only just begun to learn to wait on the Lord patiently. I have only begun to take Him at His Word because I don’t understand His timing. I am learning to trust Him, to distinguish His voice from that of the “Impersonator.”

As a child, I remember the great impersonator “Rich Little” on the TV variety shows. I recall closing my eyes and thinking, “He sounds exactly like… (insert celebrity)”. But there were subtleties in the voices of those people Mr. Little impersonated. Friends of the celebrity being impersonated could clearly distinguish those subtleties. Are you that close to God and His Word that you can discern His voice among the impersonators? Apparently, Sarah knew the Lord’s voice when she heard it because upon hearing it, she faithfully waited for the Lord to fulfill His promise.  

“By faith even Sarah herself, when she was unable to have children, received power to conceive offspring, even though she was past the age, since she considered that the One who had promised was faithful. Therefore from one man—in fact, from one as good as dead—came offspring as numerous as the stars of heaven and as innumerable as the grains of sand by the seashore.” Hebrews 11:11-12 (HCSB)

Who knows how much faith Sarah had when she first heard the Lord? I am certain that her faith ballooned when the Lord delivered on His Word! Let’s take today’s chapter as a challenge to continue seeking God’s Word and to rely on it. That way, we can rest in His promises until we rejoice at their fulfillment.