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"Oh, the heartache! Will it ever go away?" Perhaps these words darkened Sarah's thoughts the day she followed her full-of-faith husband, Abraham, out of Haran. Leaving Haran, the place where she'd married her beloved, was bad enough, but going to the land of Canaan made it even worse! Canaan was 600 miles away from her family and friends. The journey would likely have taken months.
Abraham had announced they were going to Nowhere Land, as far as Sarah was concerned. Just when Sarah was getting used to Nowhere Land, a famine struck and they had to move to Egypt—300 miles away! Oh, if only I were still in Haran, Sarah may have thought.
Backward gazes can be dangerous and impede spiritual growth. Believing God means that we don't look back and question our circumstances. Instead, we place them in His hands and trust that He will take care of them.
Sarah gives us a perfect example of radical obedience to her husband. When she followed Abraham to the new land, she left everything she knew behind, including her home and family. Then, twice she agreed to enter a foreign king's harem where there was a great possibility of being harmed. She did this to protect and be obey her husband. God honored that by keeping her safe and later honoring her with a name change.
The only way a person can walk in such radical obedience the way Sarah did is through complete trust and faith in God. Even if she didn't trust her human, imperfect husband, she trusted her Father in heaven and protected her from all evil.
So how can we look forward and faithfully follow God when circumstances are dire? Here's a great acronym!
F ace forward. Real life happens in the present, and God’s blessings happen now and in the future.
A ccept your circumstances. God uses the difficulties of life to help you mature and grow in Him.
I f you’re following God, you will find Him in all your circumstances.
T rust in the Lord. God will keep you in perfect peace when your mind is focused on Him.
H ope for the future. God is a bright star who will light your path in the present darkness.
Dear God, please grant that I may see the good in bad and the faith to be had… following You! Amen.
One Minute with the Women of the Bible-A Devotional—As you learn how God has comforted, helped, and provided for the women in the Bible, you’ll grow more and more aware of His amazing love for you
No matter how tough it gets for you to trust God and wait patiently on Him, like Abraham and Sarah, pull out these words spoken by the Lord, face-to-face with Abraham, when He repeated His promise of a son through Sarah: “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” (Genesis 18:14)
The answer? No, of course not.
The only way a person can walk in such radical obedience the way Sarah did is through complete trust and faith in God.
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Jim and Elizabeth George are bestselling authors and national speakers dedicated to helping people live a life after God’s own heart. Together, they have written over 150 books with more than 14 million copies sold around the world. For over 35 years, the teachings and steadfast example of Elizabeth and Jim have helped countless men and women:
Jim and Elizabeth George are bestselling authors and national speakers dedicated to helping people live a life after God’s own heart. Together, they have written over 150 books with more than 14 million copies sold around the world. For over 35 years, the teachings and steadfast example of Elizabeth and Jim have helped countless men and women:
Hannah appears in the Bible during the last days of the judges of Israel when “there was no king in Israel and everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25).
How did men and women in the Bible accomplish great things for God? There wasn’t any secret formula or bestselling book on success for them. In fact, they were ordinary people like you and me. What made them effective was their willingness to obey God—one decision at a time.