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Daily Devotion: Hebrews 11:11-12

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Hebrews 11:11-12    "Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised (12)  Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable."

"Through faith... Sara... received strength." We might look at the age of Abraham and Sarah and say, "They had good genes."  Humanity tends to want to put reason for every outcome. When I say reason, I mean we want to be able to use science, or human rationale, to be able to explain every happening.  We are given the reason in these verses of Scripture for the conception of Isaac and that reason is not "good genes".

Through faith, Sara received strength. Does that mean Sarah was able to conceive because her faith and her ability to believe was strong enough to cause it to happen?  You see? There again, we want to use human rationale. We want to believe we are strong enough to have some sort of rule over our own destiny. Let's see how strong Sarah was at the time she was told what was about to happen.  "Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?" (Genesis 18:12)  How hard did Sarah believe when she was told the news?  She laughed at it. What was her response when confronted about laughing?  "... Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not; for she was afraid. And he said, Nay; but thou didst laugh." (Genesis 18:15) We can discount the fact that Sarah was so strong and able to believe so hard that it happened.

So, how was it that at the ages of 100 and 90, Abraham and Sarah had a son? First let me say that I believe exactly what Jesus said, "Without me, ye can do nothing."  A quick reminder that "faith is the substance of things hoped for." Faith is grounded upon something that is solid and has foundation. What was the source and the strength that we can read today, "Through faith, Sara received strength."  The source and foundation of this event is none other than the very promise of God to them.  "And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her." (Genesis 17:6)  This promise from God is the foundation, the substance, upon which Abraham and Sarah were able to base their belief and trust.

What is the foundation of our belief and trust today?  Is it a "feeling" that we  have inside that something will happen?  Is it a matter of human reasoning and deduction that something will take place? Or is the foundation of our belief and trust found in the very Word of God? The Bible is filled with the promises of God. You can place full trust in His Word and receive strength to be able to do that which He places on our hearts to do. But the only sure foundation, substance, of our expectation is found in the Lord, not man.

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