Focal passage: Genesis 16:1-5; 17:1-9
Liv, my 2-year-old, loves her rain boots. They’re princess pink, sparkly and so chunky they clunk clunk with every tiny step of hers. When she puts them on, it’s a whole mood! She’ll wear them in the house, on walks, to the store and to restaurants. She wears them with dresses, jeans, and even her ballerina nightgown. Liv loves her boots!
Most nights we take a family walk with our golden retriever, Cooper, before bath time. My husband will go on ahead, Coop not as patient as a toddler requires, and I’ll follow behind with Liv. Once we’ve navigated the porch steps and front lawn, making our way to the pavement, Liv will usually bolt to catch up to her dada and pup pup. Tonight, however, she took a shortcut, misstepped, and her boots got caught on a crack in the driveway. She fell and, while she usually pops up pretty quickly, off to another adventure, tonight she just sat there – a little surprised, a bit shocked, her plans thwarted and her knee scratched.
As we pick up with Abram and Sarai, we see them in a standstill. They’ve made it to Canaan, but they still don’t have offspring. So they try to shortcut to the promise of God. The Lord has prevented me from bearing children, Sarai said, and she was right. It wasn’t time yet. But they try to bolt on ahead anyway and take matters into their own hands. They sinned, against God, one another and those around them. They nearly thwart – again – the promise of God. Except that nothing can thwart the promise of God!
God had promised good to them, and He was trustworthy to fulfill His word and even redeem their failures along the way. Sarai would not need many sons to see God’s promise come true. She would just need one, and God would provide. Abram would become Abraham, “the father of a multitude.” And Sarai, desperate and harsh, would be transformed through the grace of God to become Sarah – “princess” – who, no doubt, could’ve rocked some sparkly rain boots.