Today’s reading is in 1 Peter 3:5-7. View the reading guide here!
“The deepest root of Christian womanhood is hope in God.” ~ John Piper
Every woman is a daughter. We all had one father and one mother. What makes us all different is the traits we take on from our parents. I am truly my mother’s daughter. I have her nose, her eyebrows and her sensitive heart. Along those same lines, I have her emotions, extreme facial expressions and killer, creative dance moves. (Thanks, momma!) There are many things that I do or say that people will tell me “That was just like your mom!” My sister also inherited traits from our mom. She is musical in every way, hilarious and knows how to laugh and make others laugh, and is an incredible mother to her daughter, Kate! Put us together and you make our Momma. (Well, sort of:) Yet the most important thing we inherited from her is her fear of the Lord. Every morning she would wake up, grab a cup of coffee, sit in her blue chair and read her Bible. Most mornings I would find her praying and rocking in that chair. Loving the Lord was at the core of our home. And I praise the Lord for that!
Just like we inherit different traits from our mommas (both the good and the bad), we inherit traits from our sisters and brother in Christ. 1 Peter 3:5-7 refers to Sarah as a woman who feared the Lord and hoped in God. In the New Testament, Sarah was remembered for her faith in God and her character, but looking back we can see that she was not perfect. (This should fill every woman reading this with hope! We are all imperfect, but with Christ and the hope of God in our hearts, we can be a part of a mighty work in the Kingdom of God!) Flip back in your Bible to the very beginning in Genesis 12. God promised Abraham that he would have descendants numbering the stars… yet he was childless. Sarah, his wife, was barren. As they journeyed to follow God’s promise, Sarah grew impatient and took matters into her own hands. She gave her servant, Rahab, to Abraham to have a child with. (Genesis 16) She manipulated her circumstances to “fulfill God’s promise” for Him because God’s plans weren’t turning out how she had planned. (Anyone else ever feel like that?)
Even though Hagar had a child with Abraham, God’s plan prevails. He reminded Sarah and Abraham that they would be the ones to have a child. Year after year went by and Sarah remained childless. Then the most beautiful thing happened. It had been 15 years since they God made His promise to them when God appeared to Abraham to remind him once more that they will have a son. In Genesis 17:12-15, we witness the encounter that Abraham had with God. Sarah was eavesdropping on the conversation. Can you imagine listening to your husband converse with the One and Only God? When God told Abraham once more that they would have a child that next year, Sarah laughed. I bet it was one of those “yeah right” kind of laughs under her breath. The kind of laugh that is full of disbelief and a hardened heart. God called her and said “Is anything too hard for the LORD?” One year later she gave birth to Isaac, the promised child.
Do you every laugh at the hard things? Do you doubt God can do anything? Do you grow weary in the waiting and give up on His ways? In reading about Sarah, we miss what is going on in her heart. We can see her actions, but God could see her soul. Sometimes our actions don’t match up with the intent of our heart. Our world is evil and our ways our skewed. Even when we think we are doing right, Satan can be deceiving us into disobeying God. That is where the mighty grace of God covers us from head to toe. Just like the blood of Christ covered Sarah’s impatience, doubt and disbelief, so does he cover us. Sarah hoped in God. She truly did place all of her affection in Him. She was human, just like us, and God redeemed her mistakes. Sisters, do you live like a daughter of Sarah in the grace of God, clinging to His hope, fearing nothing in this world? Know that you don’t have to be perfect to be her daughter. We can clearly see that she was imperfect. You simply need to recognize the grace of God and believe that He can do anything. That is the glory of the Gospel. We could do NOTHING. Christ did everything.
To hope in God literally means to “wait for salvation with joy and full confidence, to expect, to hopefully trust in.” Where do you place your affection and security? In Christ alone? Or in worldly means? Sarah adorned herself in trust, respect and a holy fear of God. Her trust in God gave her the proper perspective on life. Nothing matters expect what is done for God alone. He is greater than our fears, greater than our worries and owns everything on this planet. May we be women who “do good and do not fear anything that is frightening” because we have fixed our eyes on Jesus and hoped in God. He is faithful! Just look at Sarah and Abraham. We are a result of their promise fulfilled.
Live as a daughter of Sarah, fully redeemed in the grace of God, clothed in the blood of Christ and confident in His Word. He is more than capable of fulfilling His promise.
hoping in God with you,
Gretchen
Thank you for sharing this great charge and encouragement to remain focused and faithful to God and His promises, so enjoyed this days devotion. Many blessings to you Gretchen!
Thank you Kimberly! You are so encouraging!
Thank you for sharing this great charge and encouragement to remain focused and faithful to God and His promises, so enjoyed this days devotion. Many blessings to you Gretchen!
Thank you Kimberly! You are so encouraging!
This was beautiful. I needed the reminder that tho 1 Peter 3 tells us that we are daughters of Sarah when we are fearless and respect our husbands, Sarah was not perfect. So encouraging. Thank you so much.
I loved this message thank you!