Genesis 17:15-27
15 Then God said to Abraham, “Regarding Sarai, your wife—her name will no longer be Sarai. From now on her name will be Sarah.[c] 16 And I will bless her and give you a son from her! Yes, I will bless her richly, and she will become the mother of many nations. Kings of nations will be among her descendants.”
17 Then Abraham bowed down to the ground, but he laughed to himself in disbelief. “How could I become a father at the age of 100?” he thought. “And how can Sarah have a baby when she is ninety years old?” 18 So Abraham said to God, “May Ishmael live under your special blessing!”
19 But God replied, “No—Sarah, your wife, will give birth to a son for you. You will name him Isaac,[d] and I will confirm my covenant with him and his descendants as an everlasting covenant. 20 As for Ishmael, I will bless him also, just as you have asked. I will make him extremely fruitful and multiply his descendants. He will become the father of twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation. 21 But my covenant will be confirmed with Isaac, who will be born to you and Sarah about this time next year.” 22 When God had finished speaking, he left Abraham.
23 On that very day Abraham took his son, Ishmael, and every male in his household, including those born there and those he had bought. Then he circumcised them, cutting off their foreskins, just as God had told him.24 Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised, 25 and Ishmael, his son, was thirteen.26 Both Abraham and his son, Ishmael, were circumcised on that same day, 27 along with all the other men and boys of the household, whether they were born there or bought as servants. All were circumcised with him.
With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.
Matthew 19:26
I had a friend who used to tell me that faith was spelt R-I-S-K. It is impossible to have faith and to live within your comfort zone. There is an old saying that God will never give you more than you can handle but I think that the opposite is true. God loves to place you in positions that are beyond your ability to control them because he wants you to lean on Him.
For Sarah, she was promised a child. This was a baby that she longed for. She felt the pain as other women around her got pregnant again and again. As she got older disappointment solidified and her body changed, she came to terms with the reality that she was too old and the time had passed. Yet God was asking her to believe in the impossible. To risk hope. To trust in him.
It is not surprising that Abraham said, bless Ishmael, as he could not hope for the impossible. His faith as great as it was, could only stretch so far. But for God, he does not do half-blessings or partial promises. He wanted them to trust him. The people of Israel would be born as a people of miracles and would always remember that their lives were a git of pure grace from God.
How can we trust in God's promises, even when they seem impossible?
