Faith

Tonight I finished up reading a chapter about Sarah, Abraham's wife, in a wonderful book called Twelve Extraordinary Women by John MacArthur. There is so much I have to learn in the Bible and I've enjoyed reading this book (although I'm only in chapter 2!) because it expounds on specific people in the Bible; people I've heard about, or read about once or twice, but it's amazing to me to see how the history of their lives reveals so much of the power and faithfulness of our Almighty God. I've known that Sarah was Abraham's wife and that she was a woman of much faith and she bore her son Isaac when she was well beyond childbearing years as a result of the promises of God. I didn't know how she agonized for years because she was barren and how she gave her servant to Abraham so that they could have a child. Then she threw the servant and her son out. I didn't realize that she traveled for 1000 miles by foot - full of faith and joy - to follow her husband. I didn't realize that she had so many different struggles and yet she is known throughout the Bible as a woman of much faith. What hope reading this chapter has given me! God is so faithful to change us and mold us in His likeness when we are faithful to repent and follow Him - and even when we aren't faithful He never changes! How grateful that even though God knows my inmost thoughts, he still cares for me and forgives me and that I can be seen as His daughter and not just a wretch! I checked out a blog from a sweet girl in our church tonight and she happened to have a quote about faith from one of my favorite authors, so I thought I'd copy it and post it so you can enjoy it, too!

“We cannot make ourselves Holy. But when we surrender ourselves to the Lord, learning day by day to treat all that comes to us with peace of soul and firm conviction that His will governs all, He will see to our growth in Grace. He will so govern the events of our lives, down to the smallest detail, as to provide for us the conditions which will make us fruitful…Faith need never ask, “But what good did this do to me?” Faith already knows that everything fits into a pattern for good to those who love God. An inconvenience is always a blessed inconvenience. We may rest in the promise that God is fitting together a good many more things than are any of our business. We need never see, “what good it did,” or how a given trouble accomplishes anything. It is peace to leave it all with Him, asking only that He do with me anything He wants, anywhere, anytime, that God may be glorified.” Elisabeth Elliot