“I will bless her (Sarai), and moreover, I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall become nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.”²                                                                                           

 “Is anything impossible for the Lord?”³

Sarai (Sarah) was a beautiful and privileged young bride whose character boasted commitment, loyalty, and selflessness. Sarai’s beauty made her desirable to kings, but the beauty of her heart made her desirable to the King of Kings and He had a great plan for her life. God had chosen Sarai to be the mother of the greatest of nations, she just didn’t know it yet. Sarai’s name means: “Yahweh (Jehovah) is Prince”; and she trusted Yahweh with her whole heart. Sarai had been married to Abraham for many years and the only thing that Sarai longed for was a child. So, when God finally promised Abraham that they would, indeed, bear a child, Sarai became ecstatic! She had never questioned the Lord in anything before. But, when decades passed and she could not conceive, she began to feel as if maybe the Lord had forgotten about her. And so, her mess began when she decided to take matters into her own hands. Sarai, feeling like maybe she would not be the one to bear a son for Abraham, chose to provide him with a surrogate (her handmaiden) to fulfill God’s promise. Her first mistake was to think that God needed help fulfilling His promises! This event was a turning point in Sarai’s life, and it had both immediate and future consequences.

Although Sarai’s intentions in giving her handmaiden to her husband were selfless, her attitude swiftly changed when the girl became pregnant. Hagar, the handmaiden, began to feel a sense of entitlement because she was carrying Abraham’s child and in turn caused Sarai to feel a resentment toward her that soon turned into hatred. Sarai was to live with these feelings for more than ten years before God would come again to remind them of the promise that He had made to them of a son. It is common knowledge that the longer we hold on to feelings of bitterness, the uglier and messier our life becomes, and in Sarai’s life her ugliness had surfaced causing her to do and say things that I am sure she later regretted. Even so, the Lord saw through her messiness and because of her faith in Him, at 90 years old God gave Sarai her heart’s desire, a son! God even changed her name to Sarah, meaning “Princess”, to show that she was still a daughter of the King. God never forgot Sarah, but Sarah often forgot Him when she allowed her emotions get the best of her.

Too many times, our messiness prevents us from enjoying God’s promises. We must remember that God does not set His timetable according to our schedule. He does not need our help to make things happen, and sometimes, like Sarah, we may wait a lifetime. However, if we remain faithful to God, His promises will remain true.

Suggested Prayer:

Dear Lord, I am so grateful that your mercy is new every morning. I am guilty of trying to rush your will and I have missed out on your blessings due to my impatience. But I know now that your timing is perfect and your plans for me have been carefully drawn out. Thank you for being a good Father and always keeping your promises to your faithful children. In Jesus Name, Amen.

1. Genesis 16:1-2.

2. Genesis 17:16.

3. Genesis 18:14a (CSB).