Today’s scripture: Genesis 18:9-15, 21:1-3 (NRSV) (The Message) (KJV) What might God be saying to me?
My thoughts (Morgan Stewart):
Today’s scripture is the story of God’s promise of a baby son to Sarah, an infertile old woman. Surely Sarah’s laughter was a sign of human reality. She thought, “It’s just not possible to have a child at my advanced age.” Yet God is never limited by human reality.
I can never read about the aged Sarah laughing about her ability to become a mother without thinking about my own time of doubting.
At the very late age of 40, I was desperately trying to conceive my first child. Although pregnancy came quickly, unfortunately so did my first miscarriage. And then another. Devastated, I went to see a renowned fertility expert who encouraged me to try yet a third time. With much prayer, I conceived again yet suffered the same sad event. I returned to my doctor’s office where his words stunned me. “Look, I’ve done all medically I know to do, but I am not God.”
Hopeless and depressed, I went to church the next Sunday where many caring friends greeted me. Hugging me close, an older gentleman whispered, “I don’t know exactly how but God IS going to work all this out for you. Keep believing.”
His words encouraged me and Matthew 19:26 became a particularly helpful scripture: (Jesus said) “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
The next year my twin infant daughters were baptized in a beautiful service. As Dean greeted me in the receiving line, he whispered, “I TOLD you God was going to work it all out! Good things happen when you keep believing.”
Yes, indeed, they do.
Thought for the day: If God promises, God will.
We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to start, consider the guidelines on the How to Pray page.