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Has anyone ever promised you something so big that you wondered how it could happen? Did you let yourself hope for it? Did you trust the person to keep the promise? Did you try to make it happen on your own?
Abraham lived many years ago. He and his wife were unable to have children. However, God promised them a son. God also promised them several other wonderful things. Abraham must have wondered how God's promises could happen.
Now, use your imagination, as we journey back through time to look at the Life Connection Story "Abraham Part 1."
(Story adapted from Genesis 12:1-9; 13:14-18; 15:1 to 18:15; 21:1-21)
My name is Abraham. I am excited to share with you how God worked in my life.
When I was seventy-five years old, I left my home and went to the land of Canaan. I took my wife, Sarah, my nephew Lot, and everything we owned. I was an older man. My wife and I had no children. Yet, God said He would make a great nation out of my family. God also said that people in the future would know about me. He said I would be a blessing to all people on the earth. Isn't that amazing?
We finally arrived in the land of Canaan. God told me to look north, south, east, and west. He promised to give my family all the land I saw. He also said He would give me many descendants. They would be as many as the stars in the sky. Do you know how many people that is? It was impossible for me to count them, but I believed God. God accepted me, and I trusted in Him.
During the next several years, God reminded me of His promise. He did not want me to lose hope. God had promised a huge family for Sarah and me, but we still had no children-and I was about eighty-five years old! So Sarah suggested that I have a child with her slave girl, Hagar. I listened to Sarah. Hagar and I had a son. I named him Ishmael. God said that Ishmael would become a great nation, too.
Thirteen years later, God reminded me again that He would give Sarah and me a son. I laughed and said to myself, "Could I have a child when I'm one hundred years old and Sarah is ninety years old?"
I asked God to keep His promise through Ishmael. But God said, "No, Sarah will have a son named Isaac."
When Sarah heard that she would have a son in her old age, she laughed to herself. Normally, it is impossible for old women to have babies. Yet, God assured me that nothing was too hard for Him.
God kept His promise, and our son Isaac was born. The name "Isaac" means "laughter." Sarah laughed with joy that God gave us a son in our old age! She said that everyone who heard about this would laugh with her.
Sarah wanted to throw out Hagar and Ishmael. She wanted Isaac to inherit everything we had. She didn't want Ishmael to inherit any of our things. This troubled me very much because Ishmael was my son, too. But God said not to be troubled. His promise would come through the descendants of Isaac. He would also make the descendants of Ishmael into a great nation. He would do this because Ishmael was my son, too. So, I gave food and water to Hagar and sent her away. She carried these things along with her son. She wandered in the desert. When all the water was gone, Hagar thought her son would die, so she began to cry. God heard the boy crying and an angel asked her what was wrong. The angel said not to be afraid but to help the boy up because he would make his descendants into a great nation. Then, God showed Hagar a well of water. She filled her bag and gave the boy a drink. God was with Ishmael as he grew up. He lived in the desert, and he married a woman from Egypt.
I didn't always depend upon God, but He never forgot His promise. He blessed me and made me a blessing to others.
Let's thank God for all He has done and for His great love for us. Pray these words of praise to Him:
God, You assure me that nothing is too hard for You. Thank You that You keep Your promises. You always take care of Your people.
Use Genesis 12:1-9; 13:14-18; 15:1 to 18:15; 21:1-21 and the Life Connection Story. They will help you complete your Life Connection Response.
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