Life Lessons From Sarah: Women In The Bible Series
Wow, I cannot believe it’s been just over a year since I wrote my last women in the Bible series post. I really wanted to pick up on this series again, so let’s get straight into it! This is a Bible study series where I go through and share the stories of and lessons from different women in the Bible (in chronological order – well, at least as best as I can!)
Today we are looking at the life lessons we can learn from the story of Sarah. As many of you probably already know, the story of Sarah is a popular one in the Bible. But, I will still write a summary of her story before we get into the life lessons we can learn from her.
The Story of Sarah
You can find the story of Sarah in Genesis from the end of chapter 11 until chapter 23. Sarah, originally called Sarai, was both the wife and half-sister of Abraham (Genesis 11:31). She struggled with infertility until she was 90 years of age (Genesis 11:30; 17:17; 21:2).
God came to Abraham in a vision and made a covenant with him stating that Abraham’s seed would inherit the land they were in (Genesis 15:18). But because Sarah was barren at the time of God forming this covenant with Abraham, Sarah decided to give him her handmaid, named Hagar. So Abraham had a son with Hagar (called Ishmael).
The Story of Hagar
The story of Hagar comes from Genesis 16; 21:1-21, and was a servant to Abraham and Sarah. Because Sarah couldn’t have children at this point in time, she made Hagar have sex with Abraham, and thus, became pregnant with his first-born son, Ishmael. Hagar began to despise Sarah and ended up fleeing into the wilderness. An angel of the Lord came to her and said that she should return to Sarah and submit to her. The angel also said that God will multiply her seed for she was pregnant with Ishmael. God saw her, and came to her. He comforted her and gave her the right advice on what to do at this point (Genesis 16).
God later opened up Sarah’s womb and was able to give her the gift of bearing her own son, Isaac (Genesis 21:1-8). Through this, Hagar and her son became a threat to Sarah because Ishmael had the first-born rights of inheritance. Sarah didn’t like this because she wanted Isaac to have it all. So, Hagar was cast out; Abraham gave Hagar a fraction of what her and Ishmael were rightfully entitled to, and then decided to wander in the wilderness of Beersheba.
God Fulfilled His Promise To Abraham and Sarah
God promised Abraham that he would be a father of many nations (Genesis 17). A covenant was made between Himself and Abraham where both he and Sarah would be blessed with a son. Despite Sarah being old (90 years old), there is nothing that is impossible with God. Abraham was told to name his son Isaac, and that this covenant would become an everlasting covenant with Isaac and his seed after him (17:19).
Sarah Laughed
There were three visitors (angels sent from The Lord) that came to where Abraham and Sarah were residing and said to Abraham that Sarah would have a son. When Sarah heard this from inside the tent, she laughed and said to herself, “After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?” (18:12). God then said to Abraham, “Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old? Is any thing too heard for the Lord?” (18:13-14). Sarah denied laughing because she was afraid. But The Lord kept His promises. Sarah conceived and had a son, whom they called Isaac, in her old age (21:2-3).
Now that we have taken a look into her story, let’s see the life lessons from Sarah that we can learn.
8 Powerful Life Lessons From Sarah
1. Never Limit God’s Abilities
“With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible” – Matthew 19:26 (b)
We can never truly fathom the extraordinary power and abilities that God has. So we should never limit God’s abilities in our lives. Sarah laughed when she overheard the angels of God saying to Abraham that she was going to conceive and bare a son in her old age. I mean, yes, it sounds ridiculous, but with God, ALL things are possible. Everything works out for the glory of God when it comes to His perfect plan and purpose in our loves. Nothing and no one can stop what God has planned for you.
We are limited in our abilities, but with God, He can do such amazing, incredible, unthinkable things, because that is the kind of God we serve!
2. Trust God No Matter What
“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” – Proverbs 3:5-6
Sarah didn’t show her trust towards God when both her and Abraham were promised to be a father and mother of many nations. She limited her faith in God when she heard that she was going to conceive in her old age. We should never stop trusting God. God is the most important person in our lives, and we need to completely trust Him, no matter what is going on or what we are struggling with in our lives.
God knows what is and isn’t best for us. God also created each and every one of us with a unique purpose and plan for our lives. We were created by Him in His image. We are created for His glory. Everything that we should be doing in our lives is to serve and please Him.
Put your complete faith and trust in God alone, no matter what.
3. God Always Delivers What He Promises
“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose” – Romans 8:28
God created an everlasting covenant with Abraham when He promised him that he would become a father of many nations. God delivered what He promised Abraham. God ALWAYS delivers on His promises for us; we just have to be patient and remain faithful.
What is it is that you are currently waiting on The Lord about? Can you learn to be patient as you wait for God to deliver your promises to you? Even if it took several years, or even decades? It is so hard to be patient when we are just wanting certain things right now. But God’s timing is perfect, God’s plans are perfect and God’s ways are perfect, so slow down, be patient, trust, and wait on the Lord.
4. God’s Timing Is Perfect
“Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart” – Psalm 37:4
As I said before, God’s timing is perfect. God is outside of time. He handles things in His own way. We just have to put our complete faith and trust in Him alone. Whether it is waiting on the Lord for a husband, or children, or finances, or whatever the case may be.
It’s hard when we don’t see what is going on behind closed doors. We cannot see how God is working on things, but we should know that He is hearing and answering our prayers in His perfect timing. God is never late; we are just impatient.
Sarah could have conceived and had Isaac at a much younger age. She already gave up on the fact that was she barren for majority of her life. But God had other plans for her. And through having Isaac in her old age, we can see that God’s plans for Sarah were to be at that given time. We cannot fully understand the reasoning behind that, but again, that is why having complete faith and trust in God alone is so very important.
5. Trust God’s Plan For Your Life
“For we walk by faith, not by sight” – 2 Corinthians 5:7
God created each and every one of us with a unique purpose and plan for our lives. We may not always know what God’s plan is for us, because we cannot see what lays ahead in the future, but God knows. This is why we must walk by faith and not by sight. We must lean upon the Lord for complete understanding.
6. God’s Love Is Unconditional
“And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him” – 1 John 4:16
God loves us so much. His love is unconditional and everlasting. He created such a beautiful plan for both Abraham and Sarah in their old age, to be blessed with a son, whose seed would then bring about many generations of children. Through this lineage, Jesus came about.
Everything works out for good; everything works out for God’s glory.
We may laugh, we may cry, we may stress, we may deny, but God knows all, God sees all, and God will handle all. His love for us is so beautiful and amazing. God truly cares about each and every one of us. He took the time to knit us in our mother’s womb. He took the time to create such wonderful and glorious plans for our lives.
7. God Is Always Faithful
“Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)” – Hebrews 10:23
“Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;” – Deuteronomy 7:9
Even when we aren’t faithful to God, He is always faithful to us. God will never back down on His promises for us.
8. Submit to Your Husband
“Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body” – Ephesians 5:22-23
Instead of giving Hagar to her husband, Abraham, Sarah should have submitted to Abraham and trusted in The Lord. Because, before she did this, God had already established a covenant with Abraham where his seed would inherit the land of Canaan.
Instead of letting Abraham continue to lead, and let things happen as they should, Sarah handed her handmaid Hagar to Abraham. Once she conceived and had Ishamel, Sarah became resentful and wanted Hagar and her son to be cast out of the land they were living in.
Wives, submit to your husbands. Let him lead. He is the head of the household, the same way Christ is the head of the Church. Don’t make any rash decisions. Otherwise you may end up making a decision you soon regret.
Final Thoughts On The Life Lessons From Sarah
These life lessons from Sarah are so encouraging on our walk with Christ. Whether we are married and are wanting to start a family, or simply are unsure about what God’s plans are for our lives, we should always trust Him completely. God’s ways are always better than our own. He knows what is and isn’t best for us. God also knows what lays ahead in our future.
Never doubt God’s abilities. Always know that He is faithful and will live up to His promises. God shows us perfect, unconditional love towards us, and we should always cherish that.
Need more encouragement in the faith? Check out my latest devotionals here!
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