Faith Beyond Our Comprehension
Genesis 17:19-22
But God said, “No. Your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will name him Isaac. I will confirm My covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him. As for Ishmael, I have heard you. I will certainly bless him; I will make him fruitful and will multiply him greatly. He will father 12 tribal leaders, and I will make him into a great nation. But I will confirm My covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this time next year.” When He finished talking with him, God withdrew from Abraham.
Abraham had no hope in himself or in Sarah and had asked God to just bless Ishmael. If God would just take what Abraham had already accomplished and blessed it, he would be happy. He loved his son and desired God’s blessing upon him. God, however, never intended to make a covenant with the work of Abraham’s flesh. He would bless Ishmael because he was Abraham’s son, but He would establish His everlasting covenant through Isaac.
Isaac was a child Abraham could not comprehend. How in this world could a 100 year old man and a 90 year old woman have a child together? How would they have the strength to raise the child together? How could this be? Abraham could not plan it, figure it out, or strategize to achieve it. God would do the work in him and bring forth what Abraham and Sarah could not. This miracle child that only God could produce would be the one to receive the covenant promise. God would not establish a covenant through the offspring of Abraham’s flesh and lack of faith.
God works through our faith and not our flesh. If He has given you a promise, He will work it in you. We do not change God’s mind by interfering with our own efforts. While He may bless the works of our hands, His covenant is found in the work He does through us. His purpose is greater than our blessing, although He will bless us in the process. We cannot change His purpose; we can only change how we participate. God’s plan was always to give them Isaac and to build His nation through him. The fact that Abraham produced Ishmael beforehand did not change God’s original plan. God’s plan has not changed for us, either. He will bring forth what we cannot comprehend to establish His purpose in our lives. Wait for it.
Have a blessed day!