Intermediate Level, Block 2—Babel and Good Land
Week 19
The Birth of Isaac—the Time of Life
Point to Emphasize: We can be those who wait on God’s timing.
Reference Reading: Genesis 17:15-27; 18:10-19
Memory Verse: Is anything too marvelous for Jehovah? At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son. (Genesis 18:14)
Story Sample
When Abraham was ninety-nine years old, his name was still Abram. One day God appeared to Abram and said that He would make a covenant with him. Who knows what a covenant is? That’s right; it is a kind of agreement, with a promise. God promised Abram that he would become the father of many people—of a multitude! The name Abram means “exalted father,” but God was promising to make Abram more than just a father—He was promising to make him the father of many, many people. So God changed his name to Abraham, which means “the father of a multitude.”
But how could Abraham be the father of a multitude? He and Sarah did not even have one son. Abraham tried to think of a way he could work this out himself. But God is so amazing. He did not need Abraham to work it out. If God wants to do something, He can do it, no matter how hard it seems. God told Abraham that he would have a son named Isaac. This was so mysterious to Abraham! He was ninety-nine years old, and God was promising him a son! Abraham couldn’t believe it! Would you have believed it? We might have thought it was too late for Abraham to have a son. Shouldn’t God have given him a son earlier? But God always does things in His perfect time.
Not long after this happened, God and Abraham were talking again—remember, they were friends! God asked Abraham where Sarah was, and Abraham said that she was in the tent. God wanted to tell them something. He reminded them of His promise. He said, “I will certainly return to you according to the time of life, and then Sarah your wife shall have a son.”
Sarah heard this, and she could not believe it. She was almost one hundred years old! How could she have a baby? Have you ever seen such an old woman have a baby? We might think that’s pretty funny! Sarah too, thought that was funny. She laughed when she heard this. But God was not being funny. He meant what He said. He asked her, “Is anything too marvelous for Jehovah?” God can do anything! Nothing is impossible for Him, and nothing is too hard. He told Abraham and Sarah, “At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.” God did exactly what He said. At the right time, Sarah had a son and they named him Isaac.
God does everything in His own perfect timing. Sometimes that timing seems impossible to us or we may not understand it, but we can be like Abraham who learned to wait on God’s timing. [Storyteller, insert your own story about waiting on the Lord’s timing and seeing His promise being fulfilled.] If the Lord promises something, He will always fulfill that promise. He will do it in the best way, in the perfect timing. We can trust in Him for that.