Saints Gone Before: Isaac

Sorry for the absence of this column. Since is has been so long, let's take a look at some of the Saints that we have gotten to know: Saints Gone Before- Job, Saints Gone Before: Abraham, Saints Gone Before: Sarah.
I would now like to a take look at Isaac. To me, Isaac seems like the kinda of son I would want to have. He is the model of obedience!

Here is what Isaac might have said about himself:
"I have had a pretty eventful life. I was born to my parents in their old age. I had a brother who didn't like me. I was almost made a sacrifice. Then my wife deceived me in my blindness.

The most eventful thing that I am best known for is when my father put me on the altar of God. There is big misconception, though, as to my age at that time. Most of the time I am portrayed as being a child when it was more like my 20's and 30's. Imagine a 138 year old man putting a 20-something or 30-something young man on an altar. Pretty hard to imagine, huh? Well that is the way it was. Even though I could have easily overpowered my father, I knew that he knew what was best and what he was doing. I went willingly to that altar because my father said to me, "My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together." So to the altar I went, and sure enough God provided a ram in my place. I grew up in knowing the Lord through my parents.

After my mother died, my father sent his servant Eliezer to find me a wife. As I was praying and walking one day, I saw Rebekah coming! They were back home! What a blessing she was to me! We loved each other very much!
Right before my father died, he gave me everything he owned. I then went and moved by the well, Lahairoi. I was driven from that place, so I moved. I was driven from the next well I dug, so I moved. This happen many times to me. I dug many wells, but God still watched over me and I finally found a place to live.

For many years, Rebekah was barren! I entreated to the Lord and He heard me and opened her womb and she conceived! Twins at that! Esau and Jacob are my sons! I loved Esau very much.

When I was old and my eyes were dim, I told Esau to make me his special venison meal and then I would bless him. But Rebekah overheard and deceived me by sending in Jacob. I could not see, so I didn't know that it was Jacob! I gave him my blessing and he went out. When I realized what I had done, I was mortified! I had nothing left to give my firstborn. Because of this deception my son Jacob went away and I didn't get to see him again!

Always remember to trust in the Lord and He will provide for you and your situation just like He provided the lamb for me!"

There is so much we can learn from Isaac. He is the model of obedience and we should never forget that if a 37 year old man can get up on the altar because his father told him to, then we should have no trouble doing the things our parents tell us to do!
Prayers and Blessings,

Saints Gone Before: Sarah

I think Sarah is a good example of a wife. While she had many faults and bad ideas, she was still submissive and trusted her husband and God, well most of the time anyway.
Being submissive is not a hard thing to do when you actually just trust and obey. Most of the time it is the best thing for us to just do.

Here is what Sarah might say about herself:
"It is said of me that I was very beautiful and unfortunately for me, many meant found me beautiful and it caused a lot of problems.
On those occasions, Abram and I did a really dumb thing: we lied about it! When kings found me pretty and wanted me for their wife, instead of trusting God and knowing He would take care of us, we lied about who I was. Even though we told a small part of the truth, we didn't tell the whole truth. We caused a lot of trouble for the kings and their family. One was even cursed to be barren. Wow, look what horrible things we caused for people because we were scared!

Both times though God was in control and made sure the kings knew the truth. We spent some tense moments explaining ourselves and still even after we lied and did what wasn't right, God blessed us greatly and multiplied us.
Both times we discovered what we really should have already known: God promised us he would take care of us, and He would never let a king harm either of us. He had other plans for our lives.

I think because of our lack of faith that there was many of years I was barren. Maybe it was punishment for causing the Egyptians to be barren, I don't know. But I do know that I should have just trusted God and known He was going to take care of everything!

Another instance of my lack of faith and having to be in control was giving my servant, Hagar, to my husband. Look what trouble that caused. I should have just known that if God told us that we would be the parents of many nations, it would definitely come to pass.
I wish I would have not tried to be in charge of my future. I would have just let God do it and trusted Him and my husband. I think he understood what 'real' faith is!

My name was not always Sarah either. I was Sarai before God changed it when He told Abraham that through me would come a new nation, His chosen people, whom the Savior would come through. Sarah means princess, and God wanted me to always remember that kings and princes would be my descendants! I had a hard time believing that at my age I would have a baby, let alone a whole nation. In fact, I just laughed when God first told us about His plans, I mean, I was 90 years old at the time, who would have thought it possible?
It did come to pass though as He said it would. We had a son, whom we named Isaac because it means laughter, and I laughed when I heard the news.

I hope that you learn from my story that you need to just trust and obey both God and your husband and not try to come up with your own ideas for how you think things should go about! Your ideas are not better than God's! If you show submission to your husband and God then you will be blessed among nations!"

I think that as girls and women, we need to always remember that we just need to trust and obey God. He has plans for us that we may not understand or even think about. And though it may seem like there is no way possible for it to come to pass, it will according to God's perfect will!
Our King reigns on high!

Saints Gone Before: Abraham

I finished the book of Job last week, and just ended my reading with Abraham. There are many things we can learn and realize from his life.

Having faith can be the easiest thing we do, if we can wholly surrender everything to God. It is very simple to have faith in Him if we leave everything else out of it and just have faith that God will take care of everything.
Abraham shows us the meaning of that. Even though he lied and didn't trust God completely, he learned after the second time that God really is in control and will take care of everything even when we don't think He will.

Here is what he might say about himself:

" I have been called "the father of many nations" and "man of faith", and God even called me, "my friend". You would think that I would have a clean record to warrant all of those. But, I, Abraham, was not such a flawless man. I am human, and therefore made mistakes... BIG mistakes!
I was the man whom God had chosen to have His people, the Hebrews, come out of my seed. My seed would bring forth God's chosen people, the Hebrews, and through His people would come the Savior!

I lived in Haran with my father and family. I married Sarai and God blessed me. But Haran was not the land God wanted me in, He said He wanted me in "the land I will show to you". So at the age of 75, I took my beautiful wife, all my belongings, and my nephew, Lot, and set out on my adventure of faith in the Lord God.

It wasn't long before my faith ran thin in God and His protection. In Egypt, I took matters into my own hands and didn't tell the whole truth about Sarah. When the truth was told, Pharoah told me to get out, but he also blessed me and bade me go on my way in peace. It is amazing to me that I, who lied not once, but twice, was blessed even when I was in sin.

Even after I lied to Pharoah and again to King Abimelech later on, God still blessed me and promised me again that I would become the father of a great nation! What mercy and love!

I still didn't trust only in God and have faith in Him even after I lied. I guess I didn't learn my lesson. I took matters into my own hands when I let Sarah talk me into taking her servant, Hagar, as my wife. I just didn't have enough faith that God could bring children to me through Sarah! Look what happened because of it: the Hebrews always fight with the Ishmaelmites; two nations at war all the time.

I thought how could it be that I would have a child with Sarah since she and I were old. In spite of my doubt though, the Lord came down and walked with me and talked with me and told me to my face that Sarah and I would have a son.

I finally figured out that if I believed the Lord and had faith in Him alone, everything would work out to His purpose. At the age of 100, I became the father of Isaac.

It is said that my life is the chief example of what it means to live by faith in the Old Testament. My life proves that being a person of faith isn't being perfect-- its just trusting God even when it seems impossible.
If you believe the Lord like I finally did, then maybe the Lord will declare that you are righteous because of your faith.
Sincerely,
Abraham"

I have learned from reading about Abraham and his life, that my faith needs to be bigger than it is. I can't see what God has in store for my life, but if I have faith in the Lord, then I have no need to worry about. If I take it into my own hands, then I will just be taking control of my life instead of letting Him do that. Then most certainly, will I make mistakes and could very well mess up the plan that God has for my life.

I need to hand things in my life over to Him more than I do. It is hard, but it is something that has to be done!
I want a faith that will let God be in charge. To see the Lord and talk with Him. I want a faith that will move mountains, not only move them, but send them to the sea. Whatever the cost, I will suffer the loss, because I want a faith that will break every stronghold that keeps God from me!

Saints Gone Before- Job

I just finished the book of Job in my daily Bible reading. The beginning of the book was really interesting to me. Then Job has many trials and in reading the book, I thought it was very hard to understand some of the speeches.

I actually thought it was depressing for the most part. Of course, Job's life was depressing when God tested him. But God knew what Job could handle and only gave him that. If you read it, you can see when God knew that Job was getting at the end of his rope.

Through reading Job we must understand that no matter what we are going through, we will not be given more than we can handle. God will not test us beyond our limits. Although it may seem we can't take anymore, you can find solace in the fact that you can get through it and God is there with you!

Here is maybe what Job would have said about himself:

"You know how people say, "the patience of Job"? Well I wasn't as patient as people say. It wasn't about being patient, it was that I just could not do anything about my problems. I could only mourn and cry out to God.

I was a wealthy man in Uz before my testing. I had a close and personal relationship with God. I had a wonderful wife, many arrows in my quiver, and more livestock and wealth than any of the people in my town. I was blessed. God had given me so much.

Then in an instant I lost everything: my children, my livestock, my wealth and then my health.
I was stricken with grief. What happened that caused this in my life? I had no sin that was hidden (although my 3 friends told me many times that I deserved all this because of it.) My wife even told me to "curse God and die", but there was no way I would EVER do that. I suffered all my trials, but I wasn't patient about it. I questioned God many times and demanded to speak to Him face to face. I didn't deserve this horrible judgement and I wanted to let Him know that. What a bad idea!

After many of my demandings, God appeared to me in a whirlwind and let me know that He was God and I was not! I got the point and immediately asked His forgiveness for my foolishness, which He did.
He instructed me to pray for my foolish friends, so they might come to realize what I had.

After that, God not only restored my health and gave me more children, but He also doubled my wealth and livestock. Wow! It has been 140 years since that all happened and I am old now. I have seen four generations of children in my family. I still look back on that time of trial in my life and am reminded everyday that God is God and I am not. He is in charge of my life, not me!

Remember my story when trials arise in your life. Don't blame God for them. They are happening for a reason and although we don't know what that is, God does and if we do what we are supposed to, He will bless us greatly when they are over.
Blessed Be The Lord! The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away!
Sincerely,
Job"

Let us remember that when we face times of trouble and it looks like there is no hope for it to end or be healed that God will always be our fall-back person. We can rest in that! He will always pick us up and put us back on our feet.