Verses from Mama

Hearing God speak one Bible verse at a time.

Life from Dead Places

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Hebrews 11:17-19a “By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was offering up his only begotten son; it was he to whom it was said, ‘In Isaac your descendants shall be called.’ . . . He considered that God is able to raise people even from the dead . . .”

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Courtesy of Kenneth Taylor’s The Bible in Pictures for Little Eyes

Absolutely nothing is too hard for God! He can even bring life from dead places.

The other day a thought occurred to me. It seems like there are a lot of infertile women in the Bible who miraculously give birth. I suppose there are many more who become pregnant with no trouble, but it seems that the barren ones are constantly highlighted. Other than the fact that it is very interesting, why is that?

God made Adam and Eve and told them to populate the earth. But sometime over the years something went wrong in the human body and the ability to bear children became impossible for some.

Sarah, the wife of Abraham, lived to be ninety before she had the joy of holding a sweet newborn close to her breast.

Rebekah, the wife of Isaac, needed divine intervention to give her a son.

Rachel, the favorite wife of Jacob, also, went years without carrying a child.

Hannah, the mother of Samuel, begged the Lord to bless her with a son and promised to return the child to Him when he came of age.

Then there was Samson’s mother; the Shunamite woman who built the prophet’s chamber for Elisha; Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist; and, of course, there was Mary who gave birth to the Son of God while still a virgin.

As I pondered this interesting pattern, I wondered. Could it be that throughout the Bible narrative God was demonstrating that absolutely nothing is too hard for Him? If God can bring life from a womb that is dead, He can certainly bring life from other dead places too.

As humans we struggle with impossibility. While waiting for God’s life-giving answers we are often stretched in our faith. This struggle is not always portrayed in the Bible details, but anyone with an imagination can read between the lines.

Each woman who waited must have grieved deeply over her monthly disappointment. Each cycle brought new pain and anguish, and Hannah even endured piercing ridicule from her husband’s other wife. Her heart-wrenching anguish, like a torrential flood overflowing the riverbanks, is seen as her tears and prayers deluged the throne of heaven.

Yet faith is one result of God’s gracious delays. Abraham and Sarah, after twenty-five years of waiting, received the tiny fulfillment of God’s promise. Their faith skyrocketed and carried them through a future crisis when God commanded Abraham to sacrifice Isaac on Mount Moriah. I can imagine the internal struggle Abraham must have had. “Did I hear You wrong, LORD? Is there some kind of misunderstanding? Surely, you must mean something else?”

But after the mental rollercoaster was over, Abraham, in faith, came to a conclusion. God promised me this son. He gave him to us when Sarah and I were long past the age of childbearing. If the Almighty One wants me to sacrifice the child, then He must be able to raise the dead.

God does not always choose to answer the prayers of infertile couples in the way they would hope. But by reading these stories we can understand that God is still the God of the impossible. He can still bring life from the deadest of places.

This glorious truth is a blessing as we navigate a life full of hopelessness. Why were there so many stories about infertile women in the Bible? Maybe it was to move each of us to a greater faith in God for the situations we face.

The next time you are facing a situation that looks bleak at best and hopeless at worst, think of all the childless couples in the Bible who miraculously received the gift of a precious bundle. Remind yourself that your circumstances are not impossible for God. He can bring life from even the deadest of places.

Love,
Mama

Death is Not an Obstacle

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Romans 4:19-21 “Without becoming weak in faith he (Abraham) contemplated his own body, now as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah’s womb; yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform.”

Death is a horrible word. Just the mere utterance of this one syllable grips even the most courageous of hearts with a deep feeling of panic. Death spells the end of something precious. Whether it be the life of a loved one, the loss of a dream, the end of a relationship, or the waste of an opportunity, the death bell tolls a finality of something that can never be recovered.

Abraham could have felt this sinking feeling. God had promised that he and his wife Sarah would have a son. But as the passing of time took a toll on their bodies, the death of a dream hung in the air. Who would have blamed Abraham for giving up hope, burying his heart’s desire for a child, and sinking into despair at the impossibility of the promise’s being fulfilled?

But Abraham believed God. He refused to become weak in faith even as he considered his own hundred year old wrinkled body and Sarah’s sagging flesh and menopausal womb. He trusted that God would keep His promise and believed that death was not an obstacle. He did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God. He was fully assured that what God had promised, He was able to perform. 


What an inspiring example of how to respond when faced with the death of something we have hoped for. God promises us that He will work all things together for good to those who love Him and are the  called according to His purposes (Romans 8:28). He can open doors that seem to be forever closed. He can make a path through a deep and frigid sea. He can win battles where the enemy is overwhelming and vicious. He can bring life where death looms large and foreboding. Why? Because death is not an obstacle for our almighty and powerful God!

Death. There is no need for this word to cause a child of God fear. He has conquered this enemy and taken away its sting.


When in life you have opportunity to consider circumstances that seem impossible, refuse to become weak in faith.  Respond as Abraham did. Cling to God’s precious promises. Give Him glory and rest assured that what God has promised He is able to perform – because with Him death is not an obstacle!

Love,
Mama

The God Who Sees

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Genesis 16:13 “Then she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, ‘You are a God who sees’ . . .”
 

There are lots of things I like about living in our small town. I love chatting with friends while picking up a gallon of milk at the local grocery store. I love riding my bike to our cozy library and picking out a movie with the help of a familiar and friendly face. I enjoy getting an ice-cream cone or penny candy at Mom and Dad’s Dairy Bar. And I like being greeted by name at the local bank. But there is one recent activity that has been fun as well as encouraging.

I love to go downtown to the second hand store, Second Act, and see what I can find. Whenever I visit this tiny thrift shop I head straight to the book section and peruse the recent donations. There aren’t a lot to choose from, but regularly I leave with a bag of reading material to last me a while.

One of my most recent finds was To Know Him, by Kay Arthur. This coffee table edition lists the different names of God and explains their meaning.

The other day I read about the name El Roi, which means “the God Who sees.” This name appears in the book of Genesis when a young servant girl, Hagar, who had been put in a compromising position, finds herself in a hot desert all alone. As the maid of the rich nomad, Abraham’s, barren wife, she was coerced into bearing him a son. After she became pregnant, Sarah despised her. So Hagar ran away into the hot desert to escape the strained and uncomfortable circumstances.

Though alone and rejected Hagar was not forgotten. God knew where she was and came to her aide. He spoke to this lonely and hopeless girl, gave her some precious promises about the child she carried, and guided her with specific directions about how to proceed.

Hagar, overwhelmed with amazement and gratitude, called the Lord, “You are a God Who sees (El Roi).” When she was all alone, when she was rejected and considered worthless, when she was misunderstood and mistreated, the great God of heaven saw all that was happening. Nothing was hidden from His sight. He came and found this insignificant maid servant and spoke words of comfort to her.

This same God still sees all. Nothing hidden even in the darkness or the deepest parts of a person’s heart escapes His notice. He sees all. He knows all. He understands all. So when you feel that everything has gone against you and there isn’t one who cares, or even notices, call upon the name of El Roi. Remember that our great God sees all!

As Kay Arthur put it in my Second Act bargain book, “The omnipresent God is there and His eyes are not shut. God sees!”

Call upon Him today!

Love,
Mama

A Fully Executed Contract

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Romans 4:20-21 “Yet he (Abraham) did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God being fully persuaded that God had power to do what He had promised.”

God’s promises never fail! Even when faced with the impossible this is a God-Fact you can rely on.

Recently, while attending a real estate continuing education course, I listened to a lecture on contracts. In our business we deal with contracts all the time. There are listing contracts, purchase contracts, and auction contracts, to name a few. In order for these contracts to be valid, both parties to the contract must agree to the terms and sign their names showing that they intend to uphold their side of the deal. These are called bilateral contracts.

A unilateral contract is different. In this case one party (the offeror) makes an express promise to do something in exchange for a specific action by another party (the offeree.) Once the action is completed by the offeree, then there is only one promise that needs to be kept. 
Abraham comes to mind as I consider the unilateral contract. In Genesis 12 God called Abraham to leave his country, his people, and father’s household to go to a land that He would show him. God then made a promise to him that 1) He would make him into a great nation; 2) He would make his name great; 3) He would bless those who blessed him and curse those who cursed him; and 4) that through him all the peoples of the earth would be blessed.
So Abraham in faith acted on God’s offer. He left his hometown and set out with his wife and nephew on a journey directed by God. The action was accomplished and from then on the execution of the unilateral contract was up to God.
Years passed and the childless couple waited for God to give them the son they so hoped for. But the ticking of the biological clock changes the human body. Abraham and Sarah grew old and there was no longer any possible human way for them to give birth to this long dreamed of child.
Most couples would have packed away their desires along with the baby clothes and toys in a chest, deposited it in the attic and tried to move on with life. But Abraham, against all hope, believed that God would make good on their contract and that he would become the father of many nations.“He did not waver through unbelief, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had the power to do what He had promised.” 

God credited Abraham’s faith to him as righteousness, and in due time God fulfilled His promise. A tiny baby born was born to this infertile, elderly couple. Over time their descendants multiplied more than the stars in the sky, and from Abraham’s family tree the Savior, Jesus Christ, was born – the Son of God Who brought salvation to the world.

Ours is a God Who keeps His word no matter how impossible the circumstances. When you face a difficult trial and it seems that all hope has died, hang onto the promises of God. Memorize a Bible verse that applies to your situation, recite it daily, and hope against hope – because when God signs a contract He always comes through.

Love,
Mama