Have a Baby at Our Age? Seriously?
Now faith is the certainty of things hoped for, a proof of things not seen.
Hebrews 11:1 NASB20
When an event or outcome is uncertain, faith is required to press on as if it is certain. Faith is taking action on what one is confident will occur. Essentially, all people have great faith in something(s) or someone –doctors, media, technology, and other vehicle drivers. Thus, we confidently take medicine or boldly drive while opposing traffic is kept out of one’s lane by two yellow lines. Although people have great faith in other people, they stumble when the faith is IN God, in His presence, in His power, in His judgement, and/or in His love. Hebrews chapter 11 is an ‘executive summary’ of this faith IN God.
For the one who comes to God must believe that He exists, and that He proves to be One who rewards those who seek Him. Hebrews 11:6 NASB20
One noted person of faith is Abraham:
By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and the one who had received the promises was offering up his only son; it was he to whom it was said, “THROUGH ISAAC YOUR DESCENDANTS SHALL BE NAMED.” He considered that God is able to raise people even from the dead, from which he also received him back as a type. Hebrews 11:17-19 NASB20
Abraham’s unthinkable preparation to sacrifice his son was based on his confidence that the Almighty God was able to somehow, someway keep His promise that it would be Isaac who bore Abraham’s descendants. Unlike Abraham, I do not have that amount of amount of confidence in God’s presence, let alone His power over life and death. Perhaps someday.
But those are not the anomalies that caught my attention this morning. Earlier in the chapter, it states that:
By faith even Sarah herself received ability to conceive, even beyond the proper time of life, since she considered Him faithful who had promised. Hebrews 11:11 NASB20
Both these statements, made centuries after the event, appear to contradict the account given in Genesis.
Then God said to Abraham, “As for your wife Sarai, you shall not call her by the name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. I will bless her, and indeed I will give you a son by her. Then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.” Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, “Will a child be born to a man a hundred years old? And will Sarah, who is ninety years old, give birth to a child?” Genesis 17:15-17 NASB
To me, that does not sound like Abraham had much confidence in God’s ability to revive his sperm and to bring life back to his wife’s dead womb. But to keep from breaking this covenant, or agreement, with God, the last paragraph portrays the radical ‘operations’ employed by Abraham to perform his requirement to participate in the covenant (articulated in verses 10-14 of that chapter). Apparently, Abraham had enough confidence in God’s ability to keep His promise that he immediately underwent the procedure. And I doubt he was laughing in his 99-year-old heart.
As for Sarah, she kept her doubts to herself, at least until three strangers were waylaid by a spry Abraham for a “light snack” (cheese, freshly cooked veal, fresh baked bread). After being refreshed by this ‘piece of bread and water,’ these men told Abraham:
“I will certainly return to you at this time next year; and behold, your wife Sarah will have a son.” And Sarah was listening at the tent door, which was behind him. Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in age; Sarah was past childbearing. So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I have become old, am I to have pleasure, my lord being old also?” But the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I actually give birth to a child, when I am so old?’ Is anything too difficult for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, at this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.” Sarah denied it, however, saying, “I did not laugh”; for she was afraid. And He said, “No, but you did laugh.” Genesis 18:10-15 NASB (awkward moment!)
At this point in the story, would anyone suggest that Abraham and Sarah had enough faith that God could do this? Yet this is what the writer of Hebrews states. Perhaps part of faith is questioning the absurdity of a promise from God while tentatively considering that maybe, just maybe God could do something this outrageously impossible. Something that includes me.
During that same encounter with the ‘waylaid strangers,’ Abraham bargained with God about the destruction of the cities on the plain, cities like Sodom where Lot lived. The next day, Abraham looked towards Sodom and saw it burning from God’s judgement on their wickedness. In fact, all the cities on the plain were in flames except for one. Perhaps this substantiated God’s great power for Abraham and Sarah. Or perhaps it was that one night when Abraham and Sarah felt life stirring within and supposedly ‘slept’ together. Or perhaps it was that first “kick” of Isaac in her womb. Perhaps each demonstration of an omnipotent God at work built upon the previous demonstration and increased the experiential confidence in God. As Abraham watched his miracle child Isaac grow into a teen, I suspect that his confidence in God’s ability to do the impossible increased such that one day, it enabled Abraham to offer Isaac as a sacrifice, confident that God could raise Isaac from the dead in order to keep his promise.
Is it possible that faith in God and his ability to keep His commitments is an ongoing tug-of-war where doubt continues to resist but is slowly sliding towards the side of faith in Father, faith strengthen by experiencing Him? Perhaps men and women of faith, like Abraham & Sarah, did not start out exhibiting much confidence in God, but the little steps of faith grew as their experiences of Father’s abilities and faithfulness increased. Thus, in the ‘executive summary’ of Hebrews 11, they are held up as examples of great faith in God.
Today, are you able to take a small step of faith in Father God? Will you choose to take a small risk and believe Father is real, powerful, all-knowing, just, and loves you? In what way will you act on that faith?
Ask for the gift of faith to trust Father to do both the possible and the impossible. And someday you may catch a glimpse of His sly grin when someone states: “That is impossible.”
For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. Ephesians 2:8
