Articles
Genesis 21: God Keeps His Promises
“And the Lord visited Sarah as He had said, and the Lord did for Sarah as He had spoken. For Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him. And Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him—whom Sarah bore to him—Isaac.” (Genesis 22:1-3)
Despite all the odds, God came through. Sarah was about 90 years old and Abraham 100 when they heard the refreshing sound of their newborn son crying. They had doubted, wondered, likely wept and schemed for some 25 years waiting for this moment. With each passing day, the promise seemed more and more impossible. And yet, now they had a child.
What promises have been made to you by God? To keep you if you are His (Psalm 37:17)? To forgive you (1 John 1:9)? To give you a home in heaven (1 Peter 1:3-9)? To be there for you in your darkest hours (Psalm 23; Hebrews 13:5)? To provide for you (Matthew 6:33)? To love you (1 Peter 5:7; Psalm 139:10)?
God keeps His word. We are not observers of this story; we are also participants. We have all doubted, wondered, wept and even schemed as well. We’ve asked, “Does He care?”—to which the Bible responds, “Oh, yes, He cares!” (1 Peter 5:7). We questioned, “Can He do this?” to which His word responds, “With God, nothing is impossible!” (Luke 1:37). We wonder, “Has He forgotten me?” to which divine scriptures says, “He never forgets!” (1 John 5:14). God may sometimes say, “No, what you ask is not best for you, but I will be with you” to our requests; He may sometimes say, “Wait, this isn’t the right time” to our request; He may say, “I’ve got something better in store for you” to our request; He may say, “You’ve got to trust Me” to our request. But, God never will say, “Oh, I forgot” or “I’m sorry, that’s beyond My power or love for you.”
In those hours, days, months or even years when it seems God has forgotten us, our requests or His promises, follow the example of Abraham and Sarah—question, cry, or even stumble from time to time. But, hold on. God always comes through.
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6).
Let’s apply this to our lives.
