divineinsight:BY HUMPHREY MTANDWA
WHERE are you, God? Why have you abandoned me? Why am I going through all this pain? When we study the Bible, we ignore the fact that each individual we read about had emotions and feelings as we do and could have gone through cycles of pain during which they also probably felt that God had turned His back on them. The Bible shows us in some instances how such characters endured the hardships and found God to be faithful as He had promised. The Bible does not hide their weakness, but shows us that despite their moments of weakness, they endured to the end and fulfilled God’s promise.
Sarah could not bear the shame of leaving her husband Abraham without an heir; her husband had told her about the God of heaven who had promised to give him an heir. For a woman in her time, it was considered to be a curse to die without giving her husband sons. Her husband Abraham was a righteous and God-fearing man.
Upon the instructions of the God of heaven, he left all and ventured into the desert, towards arid lands which he believed would become a wealthy inheritance for his sons and heirs according to God’s promise.
Many years passed in this land of promise yet it seemed she would not conceive. When the Bible tells her story, it factors out the emotions she could have been going through as a woman in her situation. Years passed without her manifesting the promise.
Sarah could have considered the thought that surely she was barren and would not be able to leave an heir for her husband. She called one of her servants, a lovely-looking young maiden to go into her husband’s tent and according to culture conceive a baby for her.
The pain of an attractive young woman satisfying the physical needs of her husband for an heir and also taking the attention of her husband for that night would have been traumatic. Sarah later hated her slave Hagar and threw her out of her husband’s household to show the extent of her pain. She tried to hide her anger towards this young slave woman who had conceived a child for her husband.
When the Bible records her story, we are told of her great faith, but this woman of great faith at one time laughed when God told her husband she would be pregnant. Sarah became the mother of us all because despite all those feelings and emotions, she was able to stand on God’s promise until she received it. The journey was not easy and at times she made errors but when her story is told, focus is not on her mistakes but the promise she received.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
The one who promised her was faithful. Yes, we can fall and at times have weak faith, but as long as you are still believing and hopeful, God will never fail you. Even our great mother of faith went through tough times, but she endured until she received the promise. It does not matter the pain you’re going through. Sarah, Job, Lot and many more in the Bible had to look away from their pain to obtain the promises of God. Yes, at times pain will be there no wonder Jesus said as long as we are in the world, we will have trouble. Those that will attain God’s promises for their life have learnt to look away from the pain. They walk by faith until they attain the promises of God.
God bless you.
l Humphrey Mtandwa is an anointed minister of the gospel and teacher of the Word based in South Africa. He has written several books including The Enoch Generation, Truthfulness and Theophany. He blogs at mtandwa.blogspot.com and can be contacted via e-mail or WhatsApp on +27 610286350.
