Out of fear, she tried to hide the stain, but it was eventually discovered.
When her parents confronted her and asked whathappened, she asked, "Do you still love me?" Her main fear was not getting
reprimanded but being rejected and losing her parents‘ love
because of her wrongdoing. To this, her mother replied, "You couldnever make a big enough stain to keep me from loving you."
- P55
There are times in our relationship with God when we feel like we have crossed the
line or messed up one too many times.
We fear that our faults and shortcomings
have made us unlovable in His sight. - P55
But our Father‘s faithfulness extends far
beyond our faults! His love toward us is
everlasting, even in our greatest failures. - P55
The cross of Christ is the clearest
evidence of this truth: in our most wretched sinful state,
God demonstrated His love for us and Jesus went to the cross to diefor our sake.
- P55
When our lives feel littered with failures and faults, we need not fear rejection from
God. His mercy and grace are bigger than our sins.
- P55
Turn to the Lord. Confess and surrender your shortcomings and sins to Him and He
will receive and renew you. - P55
May you find joy andsecurity in the Father‘s faithful love. - P55
[NIV] 1 Now the LORD was gracious to Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did for
Sarah what he had promised. - P56
2 She became pregnant, and she gave birth to a son for Abraham in his old a
happened at just the time God had said it would. - P56
3 Abraham gave the name Isaac to the
son Sarah borehim.
4 When his son Isaac was eight days old,
Abraham circumcised him, as
God commanded him.
- P56
6 Sarah said, "God has brought me
laughter, and everyone who hears about
this will laugh with me. - P57
Abraham was seventy-five years old
when God first gave him the prom-ise that he will become a great nation.
After a long twenty-five years ofwaiting,
Abraham finally receives the child of promise, Isaac. - P58
In the eyes of the world, this timeline
is excruciatingly slow. But Scripture pointsout that from God‘s standpoint, this is the exact timing He had in mind all along. - P58
History, particularly the history of our salvation, demonstrates that God‘s timing is
always perfect and exact. - P58
When we feel like God‘swork is delayed,
let us remember that His plans, His ways, and Histiming are perfect. - P58
Trust in the Lord and be at rest.
Everything will go according to His plan. - P58
In Abraham‘s time, having children was important for a variety of reasons.
It meant a stronger clan, and through one‘s offspring the family name was passed
down and its legacy secured. - P58
A wife who bore children was considered
honorable to her husband and divinely
blessed.
Knowing this, we can only imagine the shame and pain Sarah must have carried for
most of her life as a childless woman. - P58
This all changes, however, when God
miraculously grants her a son and brings
her from sorrow to laughter. - P58
And Sarah rightly acknowledges that God,
not her son, is the source of her joy.
- P58
Let us likewise look to God as our sourceand celebrate Him for the good things we receive. - P58
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