Sarah: A Story of Developing Faith
Sarah, Abraham’s wife and the mother of nations, is widely considered a great story of faith. She shows up in the Hall of Faith in Hebrews 11, after all!
I think it’s a little more nuanced though. To me, the story of Sarah and faith isn’t so much about her having faith but rather learning to have faith. It is a great example as to why we should trust God.
Just as she learned from her experience that God keeps His promises, we can do the same.
Please don’t get me wrong – I’m certainly not judging! I think we all would have reacted the way she did. But just as we can learn from other biblical figures, we can relate to her shock, impatience, and reactions to what God promised her.
So personally, I love the story of Sarah because it’s a great model for learning to develop faith and to trust God’s timing. Because His way of doing things at His time is far better than yours. Remember that He can see things that we cannot even imagine!
In this blog point, we’ll go over the story of Sarah, Abraham, and Isaac in phases illustrating different stages of faith and learning to trust God. Then I’ll give my own personal experience of faith building (hint: it involves 4 days in the hospital over Christmas of 2020 where I wasn’t expected to walk out alive).
God's Promise to Abraham and Sarah (Genesis 17).
God promises Abraham that he will be the father of many nations, and Sarah, despite being old and barren, will bear a son. So here are Abraham and Sarah past ¾ of a century, and even though they don’t have a single child, they’ll be the parents of nations? How would you make sense of that?
This promise is a pivotal moment in their lives and sets the stage for the miraculous events that follow. It is a crucial aspect of God's covenant with Abraham.
Remember that God took 25 years to fulfill this promise. Waiting on God’s time requires patience (that is a lesson God is perpetually teaching me!)
Sarah's Doubt and Laughter (Genesis 18).
When Sarah overhears the angels reiterating God's promise to Abraham, she laughs in disbelief due to her old age. This moment reflects Sarah's initial skepticism and doubt regarding the possibility of conceiving and giving birth.
How often do we brush off God’s voice because He’s saying doesn’t seem rational?
Birth of Ishmael through Hagar (Genesis 16).
Frustrated by the apparent delay in God's promise, Sarah suggests that Abraham have a child with her maidservant, Hagar. Ishmael is born as a result of this decision, leading to family complications.
Remember that God knows more than you do, so don’t take matters into your own hands. His timing and knowledge are perfect. Yours are not.
And a Divine Reminder.
God reiterates His promise to Sarah and Abraham, specifying that Sarah herself will bear a son named Isaac. This reinforces the divine plan and challenges Sarah's skepticism.
When God repeats Himself, you should listen.
Finally, the Birth of Isaac (Genesis 21).
Against all odds but true to God’s promise, Sarah miraculously conceives and gives birth to a son named Isaac.
Faith Strengthened: The fulfillment of God's promise strengthens Sarah's faith. She witnesses the realization of what seemed impossible, deepening her trust in God's plans.
Symbol of Faith: Isaac becomes a symbol of faith and the fulfillment of God's covenant. His birth highlights the transformative journey Sarah undergoes from doubt to unwavering belief.
In retrospect, it’s easy to trust God. But don’t be a rearview mirror Christian – it saves you a lot of stress and worry to just trust Him to begin with!
Sarah’s Death and Legacy of Faith (Genesis 23).
Sarah's life concludes with her death in Hebron. She is buried in the cave of Machpelah, a burial place for Abraham's family. Despite the challenges and doubts earlier in her life, Sarah's story is remembered for the faith that ultimately led to the fulfillment of God's promise through the birth of Isaac.
Sarah's story is often cited as an example of faith in the face of uncertainty, but that really isn’t a totally accurate read. Rather, we see a human woman who had trouble believing an unbelievable promise from God. His delivery on His promise strengthened her (and our) faith. Now her journey serves as a testament to the truth that God's promises are reliable, even when circumstances appear impossible.
God always keeps His promises.
Why Do I Particularly Love This Story?
I was named after Sarah. (I don’t have the H, even though people are perpetually putting one on my name.) My parents wanted me to think about my namesake as a reminder to have faith when I was struggling.
That time came on 12/21/2020, when I went to wash my hands and looked in the mirror. My eyes were mustard yellow. I panicked, and after a call to my mom and my doctor, I got instructions to go to the ER right away.
Obviously I waited a day because I was terrified, and I was so hoping I would just get some bloodwork and not be admitted to the hospital that I just grabbed a purse and my Kindle. No suitcase, a toothbrush, or clean underwear.
So you can imagine my chagrin when I was admitted, and less than two hours later I had a very mean doctor standing at the foot of my bed yelling at me and telling me that he didn’t expect me to walk out alive.
I should also mention that I was unemployed so didn’t have health insurance. So basically there was no end of things about which I could panic.
Also I should mention that this was coming off the heels of my dad’s death at the end of 2019. So while 2020 was a bad year for everyone, it was a particularly bad one for me. It started with my dad’s deathbed and ended in what should have been mine.
But you’ll notice that 2020 is in our rearview mirror, so I made it out of there alive.
The healing I had to do was far more than physical. (Remember, I had to pay for four days and three nights in the hospitals without the benefit of insurance.) Also how was I to look for a job while I was trying to recover from something that almost killed me?
The answer was pure, total, utter reliance on God.
This was the situation that was the game-changing faith builder for me. I had no choice but to trust God, because there was literally nothing I could do. I couldn’t solve this or get out of it – it was far too much for me.
I knew that God had brought me out of the hospital for some reason though. For this reason I wrote the whole account in a book (it’s a fast read): Faith in Crisis: From My Father’s Deathbed to My Own.
My goal is to give any Christians facing what seem like insurmountable struggles the reminder that GOD IS FAITHFUL, just like we learned from Sarah’s story.
Because if God could get me out of that, He can get you out of whatever you’re going through right now.
If you’re facing severe storms or just want an uplifting story (because I came out better than I could have imagined), I think this is a great story for you. And if you do read it, I’d love to hear what you think! Or to pray for you.
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