Boats In The Desert.
By faith, Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised. Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore. (Hebrews 11:11-12)
In these verses, the author of Hebrews praises Sarah — you know, Sarah, who was 90 years old when she had a child.
Yeah — that Sarah.
The author points to her as a person worth imitating. But what is Sarah’s commendation? Why was she praised in these verses?
It was her faith.
Why is she to be imitated? Her faith.
In these verses, we see that faith believes God’s word. She believed that God would be faithful to do what he said he would do, and the Bible says she “received power to conceive offspring.”
Don’t miss the clear point here. The author does not commend Sarah’s ability.
The text says, “By faith, Sarah herself received power to conceive…” Sarah didn’t do that — God did. People don’t give themselves the power to conceive. Conception is a gift from God.
In other words, by faith, she allowed God to do something to her. By faith, she believed that God would be faithful to his promise and because she believed God worked a miracle in her. That’s crazy!
It is not the most talented, the most gifted, the smartest, the cutest, the funniest, or the most capable people who have the most significant impact for eternity. The people who have the most significant impact for eternity are those who trust God’s words; people believe that God will be faithful even when they can’t see how and are willing to act in light of that belief.
And, when you trust God like that, it causes you to build boats in the desert (remember Noah) and cribs when you’re 100 years old because you believe that God will do what he promised.
Think about it. Sarah and Abraham were in the middle of nowhere, sheep all around them, for both Sarah and Abraham gravity was winning in their bodies physically.
They were well beyond the point of bearing children. Yet God said, “I am going to make a nation from you,” and Sarah believed. This is what faith does; it believes in God’s words even when you can’t see or understand how things will work out.
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