“By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.” Hebrews 11:8
Put yourself in Sarah’s shoes today. The Bible doesn’t tell us much about her early life, except that she had married her half-brother and as near as we know was happy in that marriage. At some point, they had moved from Ur of the Chaldees to Haran along with their father. Scriptures later let us know that Abraham was rich, so no doubt they lived in a nice home in Haran and Sarah had everything she needed to make life comfortable.
Imagine how she must have felt the day Abraham threw a curve ball at her. He told her they were leaving Haran and she should start packing up what she needed because they would be living in a tent from then on. I am sure that she looked at him like he had been in the sun too long. He must have told her that God had spoken to him and told him to start traveling. To top it all off, he had no idea where they were going. There were no maps to follow and no idea what the country would be like that they were traveling through. All they had to go on was the promise that Sarah would one day have a son and from him would come a great nation.
From this incident, we know that Sarah loved Abraham with all her heart and knew that he loved her. She was now sixty-five years old, past the normal age for childbearing but she still clung to the promise of a son. The life of a nomad would not be easy for someone her age, but there is no indication that she was reluctant to go, despite whatever misgivings she must have had. She went gladly because she was completely devoted to her husband. She knew God had promised to make him the father of a great nation, and she longed to give birth to the child who would start that process.
Everyone one of us must be submissive, first to the Lord Jesus Christ, and then to people that God has put into our lives. Wives are to be submissive to their husbands. Children are to be submissive to parents, and saints of God are to be submissive to their pastors and other leaders that God has put over them. Sometimes it is not easy, and we may be asked to do things that take us out of our comfort zones. But like Sarah, we submit, because of the promise. She has left us a great example to follow.
“Obey them that have the rule over you and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.” Hebrews 13:17
“Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.” I Peter 5:5
Prayer: Jesus, we know that being submissive is not always the easiest way, but we choose to submit, because of the promise that you will bless us because we do.
Devotion by Anne Johnston
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