Grace, the Enabler

Grace, the Enabler

By Apostle Felix

11  Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women. 

12  Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also? 

13  And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old? 

14  Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son. 

Genesis 18: 11 – 14

God had promised a son to Abraham and Sara, and the reality of that promised was long waited for. Sara, who was Sarai when God made a promise, was barren and was unable to conceive for many years. The long wait drained their hope for ever going to have a child as promised. So, Sara came up with a brilliant idea to help with God’s promise. She provided a Hagar, an Egyptian woman, who was fertile to conceive a child. God had promised a seed of a woman, who shall come to redeem man from his sin condition. The seed had to be a product of grace, and  not of works. Unfortunately, the figurative woman through whom the seed was to come, chose works instead of grace. Hagar, is referred to as Sinai, where the law was received.

23  Ishmael, the son of the slave girl, was a child of the natural realm. But Isaac, the son of the freewoman, was born supernaturally by the Spirit—a child of the promise of God! 

24  These two women and their sons express an allegory and become symbols of two covenants. The first covenant was born on Mt. Sinai, birthing children into slavery—children born to Hagar. 

25  For “Hagar” represents the law given at Mt. Sinai in Arabia. The “Hagar” metaphor corresponds to the earthly Jerusalem of today who are currently in bondage.

Galatians 4: 23, 24, 25

God had promised a son that shall be conceived by grace. It had to be by grace so that no man should boast. God had to wait until Abraham and Sarah had given up hope in themselves. At least, they had some flicker of hope in their abilities when they were younger. But when Sarah had reached menopause, all hope was lost.

17  (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were. 

18  Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be. 

19  And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara’s womb: 

20  He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; 

21  And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. 

Romans 4: 17 – 21

Abraham and Sarah had lost in their bodies’ ability to produce a baby. Their hope shifted from their ability to produce to what God had spoken. Abraham realized that he was weak in the body, he then decided to be strong in faith in the promise of God. The faith to conceive was in the promise of God, the word of God. Grace is believing in the promise of God, which is Jesus Christ, the Seed. The apostle Paul put it in this way, in Ephesians 2: 8  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9  Not of works, lest any man should boast. Grace is the enabler. The grace of God enabled Sarah’s body at 90 years to conceive and give birth to a healthy baby boy. This is the Isaac, the apostle Paul referred to as a child of promise.

26  But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all. 

27  For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband. 

28  Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.

Galatians 4: 26 – 28

The grace of God is able to make all things possible in your life no matter how the circumstances look like. It does not matter how long it takes and how dry the surrounding circumstances can be. God’s grace manifests where faith is fully expressed in the word of God regardless of how the circumstances look like. Do not focus on what is happening to you, but focus on what the Lord has already said concerning you. Sometimes, we are attempted to go the way of works that can deliver what we want earlier than expected, but the consequences can be very detrimental. Trust God to deliver what He has spoken concerning you. His grace is the enabler.