First Steps in Faith

Faith—what a price tag it has! The life of faith is not an easy one. And that’s exactly what Sarah discovered. Life was going quite well for her in her hometown of Ur. True, she and her husband, Abraham, didn’t have any children yet (Genesis11:30). That may have been more bearable as long as she was surrounded by friends, family, and the distractions of the lush and sophisticated, prosperous city of Ur. Like any other woman, Sarah must have loved home, sweet home!

But Sarah was asked to leave behind all that was familiar and secure—to turn her back on all that she knew and go somewhere else. You see, God told Abraham to leave, to get out of Ur. And where were they to go? “To a land that I will show you,” is what the Lord said (Genesis 12:1).

Sarah’s minuscule seed of faith budded on that red-letter day when “they went out…from Ur of the Chaldeans” (Genesis11:31). Possibly with pain in her heart and tears in her eyes, Sarah acted on God’s instructions regarding marriage: “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh” (Genesis 2:24 KJV). As always, obedience to God boiled down to a faith-issue. However it happened, Sarah took an important step of faith, and it grew and ultimately earned her a place of honor in God’s Hall of Faith (Hebrews 11).

Are you wondering and praying, “Dear God, how can I develop greater faith?” Try these important first steps today:

• Trust the faith of those who lead you—Those who show you the path to greater faith.
• Turn away from the pleasures of this world—“Do not love the world or the things in the world” (1 John 2:15).
• Turn toward the unknown, the unseen, the eternal, with a heart of faith—“For we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7).

A Prayer to Pray
Dear God of “Sarai,”
grant that such a one as I
may see the good in bad
and the faith to be had…
following Thee!

Drawn from The Remarkable Women of the Bible by Elizabeth George. This inspiring book provides spiritual nourishment from a woman’s point of view. Connect with the same source of fulfillment that sustained your sisters in ancient times – a growing relationship with God.

Read First Steps in Faith on Elizabeth & Jim George.