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PREPARE

Sarah’s life was full of waiting and confusion mixed with adventure and trust . In the midst of her waiting she had moments of great faith and great doubt, she laughed in disbelief at God’s ability to keep His promise and laughed with faith and joy when God kept it and gave her a son! The Hero of this story is God who protected His special promise to Abraham and Sarah when their fear got them into trouble. There is no perfectly faithful human, only a perfectly faithful God. God has the power to do the impossible, nothing is beyond His ability to accomplish and He always keeps His promises! This is the foundation and source of our hope! It can be hard to trust God when we are waiting on a promise. God is faithful to keep all His promises and to intervene when we are going the wrong way. He helps us to trust, enables us to wait, and meets us in our fears and doubts.

LISTEN

Verses: Genesis 12:1-3, 15:1-6, 16:1-5, 17:15-22, 18:1-15, 21:1-7; Hebrews 11:11

Main Point: God is faithful to do all He promised to do in His way and in His time.

1. The Promise: (Gen 12:1-5, 15:1-6)

2. The Waiting: (Gen 16:1-5, 17:15-22, 18:9-15)

3. The Fulfillment: (Genesis 21:1-7)

How to wait well: Find the beauty in the season / Keep Praying / Don’t Give Up

Truths to hold on to: God gives good gifts / God’s timing is perfect / Faith pleases God / Jesus is the reward

REFLECT

1. What impacted you most from this week’s message? What challenged you or encouraged you?
2. What does Sarah’s story tell us about the nature of faith and waiting on the Lord? Think of a time when your faith has been tested. What happened?
3. Why is waiting on God so difficult? How can we wait well and enjoy the season of life we are in while we are waiting?
4. Read Genesis 12:1-3. This is the introduction of the Abrahamic Covenant. What did God call Abram and Sarai to do? What promise did God make to them. What does their obedience show us about their faith?
6. Read Genesis 15:1-6. What concern did Abram express to God in these verses? What did God promise Abram He would do?
7. Read Genesis 16:1-5. What was Sarai’s solution to being childless? Was this the way that God intended to fulfill His promise to Abram and Sarai? What was the outcome of this decision?
9. Read Genesis 17:15-22. What did God promise Abraham that He will do? How did Abraham respond? What did God say would happen through Abraham’s son Isaac?
10. Read Genesis 18:1-15. What did Angel promise Abraham? What was Sarah’s response to the angel’s words? Why did the angel ask, “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” Why did Sarah deny laughing?
11. Read Genesis 21:1-7. How old was Sarah when she gave birth to Isaac? Would this have been possible without God’s intervention? Read verse 21:1 again slowly. What do we learn about the character of God in this verse?
13. Read Hebrews 11:11. What do we learn about Sarah’s faith and her belief in God from this verse?

ACT

- What is one specific thing you can do this week to put into practice what you learned in this message?
- How can you deepen your relationship with God and follow Him more closely this week?
- Who is someone you can share what you learned with?