Fear No Fear

(All scripture from the NET, netbible.org, all rights reserved)

By faith, even though Sarah herself was barren and he was too old, he received the ability to procreate because he regarded the one who had given the promise to be trustworthy.
Hebrews 11:11 (emphasis added)

There are two ways to read this verse, and depending on your translation you will see what the NET has here – focusing on Abraham – or the verse will focus on Sarah. The pivot point on this is the term ‘received the ability to procreate’ which in Greek is EITHER ‘power to deposit seed’ OR ‘power to conceive seed’. I tend toward power to conceive seed based on the Apostolic Bible Polyglot Interlinear (by Charles Van der Pool) that biblehub.com uses. Interestingly, the POINT of the verse works equally well regardless of who the verse is about. The main point of the verse is that the conception didn’t just happen. Sarah had most likely gone through menopause and was unable to viably produce eggs. Abraham was an older man and as the modern proliferation of the erectile dysfunction industry tells us: it hasn’t been rare for age and male virility to stop being on speaking terms. Either way, a ‘natural’ conception wasn’t in the cards.

It is not Ishmael’s fault that his parents and Sarah decided to go with what they thought was a good idea instead of a God idea (Genesis 16-17). It is not his fault he was conceived, born, raised, and removed from the scene. Other than teasing his little half-brother, he did nothing wrong in the scenario. Most telling, the Lord HEARD the boy crying out and responded when Ishmael was cast out (Genesis 21). Regardless of what he became (products of his choices), the circumstances of his birth were NOT his fault and should not be held against him. The problem is that Abraham and Sarah were told something was going to happen with NO EVIDENCE that it had happened before OR that it would happen in this instance. What were they supposed to do?

Trust. They were supposed to trust. We would cite and hold onto Psalm 16:2 “I say to the Lord, “You are the Lord, my only source of well-being.”” But Abraham didn’t have the scriptures. All they had were the words spoken by their visitors and Yahweh Himself. “But look, the Lord’s message came to him: “This man will not be your heir, but instead a son who comes from your own body will be your heir.”” (Genesis 15:4). And then Yahweh cut covenant with Abraham over the next fifteen verses. Before that, in Genesis 13:14-17: “After Lot had departed, the Lord said to Abram, “Look from the place where you stand to the north, south, east, and west. I will give all the land that you see to you and your descendants forever. And I will make your descendants like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone is able to count the dust of the earth, then your descendants also can be counted. Get up and walk throughout the land, for I will give it to you.” Pretty clear so far.

Before that, in Genesis 12: “The Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.” So Abram built an altar there to the Lord, who had appeared to him” (vs 7). Yahweh reconfirmed this with Abraham by making His name Abraham in Genesis 17 (before that He was Abram) which means father of a multitude. Sarai was named Sarah going from princess to queen. Then special visitors came to Abraham (Genesis 18:1-15) it is AGAIN restated that Abraham would have a natural child by Sarah. They had similar reactions. Abraham’s was one of incredulity at the wonder of Adonai accomplishing this. Sarah’s was one of incredulity at the impossibility of it occurring. I’m sure you can see the difference.

Over twenty years had gone by from the first mention of descendants to this visit. At this visit, Abraham and Sarah were told something VERY specific: “Is anything impossible for the Lord? I will return to you when the season comes round again and Sarah will have a son” (Genesis 18:14). From a forward, future thing that they could consider and reflect on at leisure, there was now a timestamp on it. One year. Twelve months. But that’s until birth. We know Sarah was an attractive woman (Genesis 12:10-20). It wasn’t that she was a hag or anything. There are a lot of EXTREMELY beautiful women on the sunset side of menopause. The point was that she had been barren her whole life, was now past the age at which eggs were released, and yet the promise. A year. That’s 365 days. Pregnancy takes 40 weeks which is about 280 days – as counted from the last menstrual cycle. Conception is usually about 14 days before that. Which means 294 days of the year would be taken up with pregnancy. When the visitor told them there would be a natural conceived and birthed baby in the tent a year later, he was saying she would conceive within the next seventy-one days. Less than two and a half months.

Abraham and Sarah were in the same place as we are. When have you needed to believe in a short period of time for something? Have you ever needed a healing fast, but are looking at a broken limb, disease, condition, or sickness that is clearly there and clearly planning to stay? They were in the same kind of boat. Nothing in the natural pointed to them having a baby naturally. Yet they were told within two months they’d be pregnant. That is some hard to believe stuff. Have you ever noticed something about belief? It changes easily. One new fact can make you a believer. If the Pepsi Challenge of 1975+ is anything to go by, you can make people waver in their choices by introducing one new factor (taste in that case). Belief can be wishy-washy. Trust, however, is often how we make our decisions. We can hold onto toxic people a LOT longer when we trust them. We will take more risks with people if we are in the same group as them, because we trust them. Trust is how we make our decisions. What we trust in – be it a person, an organisation, or a brand – is what and who we side with.

That is why Jesus puts so much weight on our TRUSTING Adonai. Yes, it is important to believe. Yes, it is important to squelch disbelief. But we do that by where our trust is. We have no trust naturally. Adonai gives us part of His trust so that we can trust (Proverbs 3:5-6; 28:26). We need to use His trust that He gives us (Mark 11:22). We need to use it to engage that which He empowers us to use. If Abraham hadn’t engaged his trust in Adonai’s words, his swimmers never would have got off the dock. If Sarah hadn’t engaged her trust in Adonai’s words, she wouldn’t have been able to receive either a viable egg OR the sperm which had to fuse with it. We – as human beings – need to TRUST in order to engage our belief.

Look at Santa. Children trust their parents, so they believe in Santa. How long does that last? As long as their parents are the loudest voice in their lives. As soon as someone takes that place, be it a school teacher or friend, their belief in what the parents have said wavers. So too does their belief. Why do children raised in believing homes tend to fall away or ‘rebel’ as they grow up? It is NOT because as they get exposed to the larger world they see that their parent’s beliefs are foolish, unrealistic, or not enlightened. It is because they switch from valuing their parent’s voices to the voices of others. They then put their trust in the values, thoughts, and beliefs of that other voice, putting aside those of their parents.

As believers or parents of believers, it is our job to learn and forge a relationship with Adonai. No matter how smart a human voice is. No matter how clever or charismatic, they will still be HUMAN voices from a HUMAN standpoint. Human standpoints are subjective. Human standpoints fluctuate. Human standpoints are based on the level of our knowledge of the truth. They shift. They change. They are vulnerable to attacks of doubt. We need an OBJECTIVE perspective. We need relationship with Adonai so that we can value HIS voice – the voice that is stable. This is accomplished through the Word and prayer (Romans 12:2; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-17).

“Keep thinking about things above, not things on the earth, for you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:2-3). “There is a way that seems right to a person, but its end is the way that leads to death” (Proverbs 14:12). “because we are not looking at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen. For what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:18). “Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself to have attained this. Instead I am single-minded: Forgetting the things that are behind and reaching out for the things that are ahead, with this goal in mind, I strive toward the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Therefore let those of us who are “perfect” embrace this point of view. If you think otherwise, God will reveal to you the error of your ways” (Philippians 3:13-15). “From one man he made every nation of the human race to inhabit the entire earth, determining their set times and the fixed limits of the places where they would live, so that they would search for God and perhaps grope around for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us” (Acts 17:26-27).

We MUST have trust, believing we can seek and find HIm AND that He rewards us for seeking (Hebrews 11:6). It is through our TRUST that He is faithful. That He is trustworthy. That He is willing to fulfil His promises. That He is ABLE to fulfil His promises. We can believe His words when we Trust in His nature. In His character. We need out trust to engage what He says we can. We have to believe we are able to do it and trust that we CAN. This is how we receive from the Kingdom of God. This is how the windows of Heaven are opened. This is how the doorways of Heaven are opened. This is how the Hand of Adonai gets outstretched to us. Trust in Him. Trust in His character. And Trust in the relationship we forge by praying. Communing from OUR heart to HIS heart. That is how the impossible becomes possible. Through OUR trust that HE can, will, and does do it.

Daily Affirmation Jesus IS Messiah: Isaiah 29:13

“The Lord says,“These people say they are loyal to me; they say wonderful things about me, but they are not really loyal to me. Their worship consists of nothing but man-made ritual.” The Messiah would indicate the hypocritical obedience to the Word of Yahweh. Those whose words seem helpful, whose teachings seem kind, but whose hearts are rotten and full of filthy things. “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God” (Matthew 5:7-9). The religious elite are not merciful, but put tradition and rules on people until they can hardly manage with them. The religious elite are not pure in heart, and assume you are the same. The religious elite do not seek peace, but point out every opportunity of strife to prove and enforce their little points. Jesus was against all of them. Time and again. He did not shy away from it. Neither should we. Jesus IS the Messiah!

Your Daily Confession of Jesus/Yeshua’s Identity:

Yeshua is the Christ, the Son of the living God.

Matthew 16:16b