City Life Starter

Written by Aisha Darwesh

The Word

¹⁵ And God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. ¹⁶ I will bless her, and moreover, I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall become nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.” ¹⁷ Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed and said to himself, “Shall a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?” ¹⁸ And Abraham said to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before you!” ¹⁹ God said, “No, but Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him. ²⁰ As for Ishmael, I have heard you; behold, I have blessed him and will make him fruitful and multiply him greatly. He shall father twelve princes, and I will make him into a great nation. ²¹ But I will establish my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this time next year.”

Genesis 17:15-21 (ESV)

¹² So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I am worn out, and my lord is old, shall I have pleasure?

Genesis 18:12 (ESV)

³ Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— ⁴ but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious. ⁵ For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands, ⁶ as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. And you are her children, if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening.

1 Peter 3:3-6 (ESV)

Aisha’s Analysis

Today’s verses give us a glimpse into Sarah’s beauty secret: she submitted to her husband and ultimately to God in believing His promise over her life. 

In our current culture, the word submission could be construed as pejorative and undesirable. We live in a society that is only concerned with serving self. We want to be our own boss and not have to submit to anyone. 

However, we would do well to learn from Sarah. In her situation, what God promised her was so inconceivable, that she actually laughed: “So Sarah laughed to herself saying, ‘After I am worn out, and my lord is old, shall I have pleasure?’” (Genesis 18:12 ESV). 

Here she was pushing ninety, and God tells her she’s going to have a child? While it was laughable in her opinion, the Bible reveals that she referred to Abraham as her lord–and she made this reference while she was thinking to herself – which is arguably when we are the most real with ourselves about how we think and feel. 

While some may see this reference to her husband as lord as oppressive, I think it reveals a deeper truth: Sarah was willing to accept God’s promise no matter how ridiculous it seemed. This displays the beauty and simplicity of her faith and trust in God.  

We can trust God to keep His Word and fulfill His promises no matter what. His Word should trump all our preconceived notions and prior experiences. As children of God, believing in Him is what makes us who we are. We are His, and He gets to have the final say in our lives. 

In Sarah’s case, God had the last laugh in her life. As promised, she did eventually give birth to a son named Isaac, which means “laughter.” May His name be praised forever. 

Application

What has God promised you in His word that seems impossible given your present circumstances? Could it be that God has the power to change you and transform you from the inside out? 

If you are only willing to submit to Him as your Lord, God not only can, but will fulfill all His promises in your life. As Jesus told somebody once: 

“What do you mean, ‘If I can’?” Jesus asked. “Anything is possible if a person believes.”

Mark 9:23 (NLT)

Prayer

Father God, I want to thank You for coming into my life in a deep and powerful way. You have transformed me from the inside out and You are continuing to mold and shape me into the person You have called me to be. I submit to You and Your ways and fully expect to see Your promises fulfilled in my life. Lord, have Your way. In Jesus’ name, amen.