Abraham and Sarah made it!  They were finally going to see the fulfillment of God’s word. Their journey started over eight chapters ago and spanned almost 25 years.  Abraham wasn’t perfect. He just kept on believing regardless of circumstances, hardships, detours, and delays. This was what spoke to me most about Abraham’s life of faith. Ultimately, he kept believing the Lord despite everything he faced.  Chapter 21 records the Lord’s promise being fulfilled.

Then the Lord took note of Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did for Sarah as he has promised. So Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the appointed time of which God had spoken to him. (Genesis 21:1-2)

The verb “paw-kad” means to take note of, visit, or be gracious. Here it was used to denote the idea of divine intervention for the purpose of good. God intervened in the life of Sarah for the purpose of blessing her with a son. This same verb (paw-kad) was used to describe God’s intervention in Joseph’s life, as well as Hannah’s, when she delivered Samuel.   It was also used when God led Ruth and Naomi back to Israel.

When God answers our prayers it is more than just a miracle, it is a divine visitation.  No one may truly understand it all, but you will.  Why?  You are the one who prayed and prayed for years, months, or weeks.  You are the one who carried the word in your heart.  You are the one who was tested until the word came true in your life.

Our goal is hold on to God’s word until His “divine intervention” manifests in us. One of my favorite biblical phrases is “it came to pass.”  Praise God it didn’t come to stay, it came to pass!

Questions –

• Why did God visit Sarah?  
• Did God simply feel sorry for them?   
• Did they finally pray enough times?   
• Did they finally say their prayers in the correct order so as to unlock the answer?   
• Did they finally get enough people agreeing with them?   
• Was it on Abraham’s 100th birthday, so his wish came true as he blew out the candles?

NO – God said He would do it; therefore He did. The repetition of the written word of God reminds us of the total reliability of the promises of God. If God said He will do something, then you can be assured that He will. God’s promises are absolute.

Most of our gnawing struggles can be overcome by simply trusting in the word of God and the promises of God. We move to a higher altitude when we put our confidence in God’s word.

During World War I, an American Airmen took off from an airfield located in Kobar, Arabia. Little did the pilot know that while the plane was on the ground a large rat had crawled inside the cockpit.  While in the air the pilot became aware of the rat’s presence when he heard some gnawing behind him. He immediately realized that the sound he was hearing was the sound of a rat. Alarmed at what could turn into a disastrous situation, the pilot remembered that rats could not live in high altitudes. So the pilot did the smart thing and pointed his airplane up and climbed to altitudes where breathing was difficult. After some time at the high altitude, the gnawing stopped. When he landed on the ground he found the rat had died.  The gnawing rat represents the many gnawing struggles we face daily in our walk with God. Many, if not all, of the gnawing struggles that we face on a daily basis can be dealt with much like the pilot dealt with the gnawing rat. It can be dealt with by climbing to greater altitudes where God’s word causes us to soar and earthly issues die for lack of air.

Every believer has some seed of promise God has planted in them.  The Father is a faithful sower.  Are the promises of God being matured in you?  Are you in the beginning, middle, or near the end of your process?  Stay in your process.  A divine visitation may be just around the corner.

Blessings,

Pastor