Ears To Hear # 55

ABRAHAM’S BELOVED
SARAH

(Genesis 23)

 

         Abraham came to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her. Then he asked for a place to bury his dead, as he said, “out of his sight.”
         Sarah was a hundred and twenty seven years old when she died. What a long life they had lived together.

         

         Because of Abraham’s great love for Sarah, he could have laid down and died right beside her. During his time of mourning and grief he must have experienced a great loss of the life he had known for so long. Surely it was hard for him to imagine going on without Sarah.
         But, Abraham went to his friends and sought a place to bury Sarah, “Out of his Sight”.  He honored her physical life by buying a beautiful place to bury her.

ABRAHAM’S FRIENDS

WERE

HELPFUL

         As Wanda and Helen, my friends, both sent me a poem this morning written by Helen Steiner Rice, I could see how it related so much to Abraham and to many dear hearts we are praying for on this, God’s time table of our lives. It was referred to as “Only A Bend in the Road.”

"A Bend In The Road"

When we feel we have nothing left to give and we are sure that the song has ended,
When our day seems over and the shadows fall and the darkness of night has descended,
Where can we go to find the strength to valiantly keep on trying? Where can we find the hand that will dry the tears that the heart is crying?
There's but one place to go and that is to God, and dropping all pretense and pride,
We can pour out our problems without restraint and gain strength with Him at our side.
And together we stand at life's crossroads and view what we think is the end, But God has a much bigger vision, and He tells us it's only a bend,
For the road goes on and is smoother, and the pause in the song is a rest, And the part that's unsung and unfinished is the sweetest and richest and best.
So rest and relax and grow stronger - let go and let God share your load.
Your work is not finished or ended - you've just come to a bend in the road.
Helen Steiner Rice

PROTECT THE SEED

         God promised a seed to Abraham and He gave him that seed in Isaac. God also promised Abraham that “In blessings I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the seashore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed My voice.” (Genesis 22:17-18).
         Abraham’s next step was to protect that seed in Isaac, that God gave him. No matter how great his love was for Sarah, his love for God was even greater. It pulled him away from the burial place of Sarah to continue around the “bend in his road” to protect the marriage of Isaac. Thus, protecting the seed God gave him.
         Abraham even took another wife, Keturah, and had many more children (seeds). But he remained focused on the original seed, Isaac, and left all he had to him. (Genesis 25:5). He gave gifts to his other children… but kept Isaac separated from them. (verse 6).

GOD’S WAYS ARE HIGHER

         Today, many of us can relate to the call on Abraham’s life. We can understand his need to “Protect the Seed.”
         Often we wonder why God takes one of a couple and leaves the other. If you are the one left behind, I pray that you see God’s vision for you to protect His Seed. Your children or other children of God, still need your direction, protection, and prayers. They still need to learn from you HOW to Protect the Seed. They need your comfort and encouragement as they too come to a Bend in Their Road.
         So, whatever Bend you are turning today, I pray that you know your loved one is in a safe place; that you will see them again some day soon, but for now you continue to Protect the Seed of God’s Word that abides in you and in your earthly children.