Monday, October 30, 2006

Lessons from Genesis 21:1-8

Hello All,

One of the more wonderful things about God is His faithfulness to His people. There are 2 definitions that are always accurate when applied to the relationship from God to His people. “Consistently trustworthy and loyal, especially to a person, a promise, or duty,” and “Displaying or resulting from a sense of responsibility or devotion to duty.” These first 8 verses of Genesis 21 really speak that too me especially.

First, He is faithful to His Word. In verse 1, you will note the force with which Moses records "as He had said" and "as He spoken." While it is true that God is never late, it is also true that He is never in a hurry! This promise took 25 years to bring to fulfillment. God never changed His mind or His agenda and even when all felt otherwise, God brought His Word faithfully to pass.

Second, God is faithful to His Timing. God had visited Sarah "at the set time." God is one timetable: His! His time is the best time, the right time. God has a perfect view of time and we see often the concept of God's mastery over it, even though it may not be expressly stated. He puts people in places "for such a time" as this. He allows the Messiah to be born "at the appointed time." Jesus Himself tells His mother Mary that "His time has not yet come." We may not like it, but God is faithful to His timing.

Third, God is faithful to His Glory. God has a way of bringing things to pass that are otherwise impossible. The birth of Isaac happened when Abraham was 100 years old and Sarah was 90. Sarah had been barren for many years, but God promised a child through her. There were no fertility clinics or drug experimentation programs in place during early biblical history. The birth of Isaac through a dead womb is an illustration of God's faithfulness to His glory, ie, His reputation to the watching world. He will be glorified by the world as He does marvelous works in, for and through us.

Fourth and finally, God is faithful to His Purposes. Notice what Sarah says when she looks down at little "Laughter" (Isaac): "And Sarah said, 'God has made me laugh, and all who hear will laugh with me.'" All who hear! God's purpose in causing us to believe and proclaim His Word, to trust in His timing and bring glory to Him, can be wrapped up in this little phrase. "All who hear." God's purpose is to give us a testimony in the world, so that all who hear will laugh with joy when our stories are told.

The Lord is faithful brothers and sisters. Rejoice in the Lord and magnify His name among the nations you are surrounded by. If something is not happening now, it will happen when it's most glorious to Him. Let us keep that in mind as we enter this next week.

Blessings To The Friends Of Spain,
Frank Sanchez

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