And Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him- whom Sarah bore to him – Isaac.
(Genesis 21:3-NKJV)
In our previous devotion, on the Blessings of Abraham we saw how Almighty God, the Creator of the universe, chose Abram (now Abraham), and made a promise to him, that He (God), would make him into a great nation, would bless him and that all the peoples on earth would be blessed through him (Genesis 12:2-3 – NLT).
Abram at the age of 75, took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, and all his possessions and departed from his homeland in Haran and came to the land of Canaan, in obedience to God. It was only after Abram entered Canaan, that God appeared again to him and said, “To your offspring, I will give this land” (V 7). God’s promises to us are “Yes” and “Amen” (2 Corinthians 1:20).
When Abram was 99 years old God appeared to him and made a covenant with him. God changed his name from Abram to Abraham and told him, “…and you shall be a father of many nations.” He also changed Sarai to Sarah for God said, “And I will bless her and also give you a son by her; then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples shall be from her”. (Genesis 17: 4,5;15,16 – NKJV).
So, twenty-five years later after moving from Haran, Abraham at the age of 100 years got and Sarah at 90 years, gave birth to a son, as God had spoken and Abraham called the name of his son Isaac. The Bible declares in Numbers 23:19, “God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?”.
As we celebrate Family Month (March), many married couples the world over are trusting God to start a family. We should be encouraged by the faith of Abraham who waited 25 years for the fulfillment of God’s promise. Because of Abraham’s faith, we are the beneficiaries of his blessings, and through his seed, came Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour. Oh, what a blessing!
Prayer:
Almighty God, we thank You that because of the obedience of Abraham, we are beneficiaries of the blessings of Abraham. We thank You for those who are trusting You to start their families. We know that with You all things are possible to them that believe. Bless families today, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Read: Genesis 17:1-16; 21:1-7; Romans 4:19-22
Bible Reading Guide: Psalm 36; Luke 4:14-37; Numbers 13:26-33; Numbers 14
