Making a Differencewith Pastor Phil Erickson

Apr 23rd, 2013 Just for Ladies – by Camille Stahl

Today’s Passage – 1 Kings 18 – 19 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – Luke 1 – 2; Proverbs 23; Psalms 111 – 115

Scripture Memorization for March – John 1:1 – 18

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song –  Proverbs 27:15

Read a great article by Pastor Cary Schmidt – “What If“

Read the “0423 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Read a post from this morning’s Bible reading passage – “Don’t Shoot the Messenger“

The Study of Women in the Bible

This week: Sarah

Good morning and welcome once again to Women in the Bible. This week we will be looking at Sarah and how she walked ahead of God.

“Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” (Genesis 12:1 – 3)

“After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward. And Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus? And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir. And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir. And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.” (Genesis 15:1 – 5)

“Now Sarai Abram’s wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar. And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the LORD hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai. And Sarai Abram’s wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife. And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived:” (Genesis 16:1 – 4)

Abraham and Sarah lived a secure life in Ur, with friends and family. One day God appeared to Abraham and told him to leave his land and go to a place, which He would point out to him. Most women would find it hard to leave their home to face an unknown future, but Sarah got on board and stood behind her husband, obeyed God and went willingly. After moving over 600 miles away, God told Abraham to move again. All the while Sarah was waiting for the promise of God to bear a child.

Abraham and Sarah continued moving around, and because of a famine, they decided to move to Egypt. For the first time, Sarah saw Abraham not take counsel from God. She must have really questioned her husband when he asked her to tell the people that she was his sister. Here was a man who had walked beside God, now running ahead. Sarah honored her husband, and God honored Sarah by protecting her in Egypt. Sarah knew from experience that to live a life of faith she would need to be patient. Faith and patience go together. You can’t buy them, you have to experience them; but Sarah was growing older and now past her days of child bearing. She suggested to Abraham that he take Hagar as his concubine. Although these things happened frequently back then, it was still wrong, because of her lack of faith.

A year after God appeared to them again, Sarah conceived and bore a child. Finally, receiving the promise from God.

Today we have two nations from the loins of Abraham: the Arabs, the descendants of Ishmael; and the Jews, the descendants of Isaac. They are still at war with each other, all because Sarah ran ahead of God.

We too must follow by God’s side; never running ahead or dragging behind. We should follow closely by God’s side because His timing is the perfect timing.  Moving only when God moves us, and waiting when He is working. Psalm 119:105 says, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” If you ever walked in the woods at night with a flashlight, you know you must walk next to the one holding the light. Too far behind or ahead, and you are in darkness. You might go down the wrong path, stumble, or fall. So let’s take the Saviour’s hand and walk together by His side.

In conclusion, I do not want to leave Sarah on a sour note. Sarah’s life had experienced many sacrifices. Her faith grew after the birth of her son, Isaac. She experienced hardships and disappointments, all without complaint. She was flexible with the changes that were made in her life. By her obedience to Abraham, she allowed him to obey God. In Hebrews 11, she was honored for the faith she had, without having her failures pointed out.

Have patience, have patience, Don’t be in such a hurry.

Have patience, have patience, You’ll only start to worry.

Remember, Remember, that God is patient too!

Just think of all the times that others had to wait for you!

Thank You

1 John 5:13