Great Riches -- part 1

Recently the Lord has been impressing me with the thought of “great riches.”  Whenever a word or phrase keeps dropping into my spirit, I know it is time to “dig deeper” into what the Holy Spirit is saying to me. So for the next few weeks, let’s look at this phrase “great riches” and see what we can find!

As Mothers of Nations, why don’t we start with this scripture in Genesis 17:16 (NKJV) that refers to Sarah. ^“And I will bless her and also give you a son by her; then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples shall be from her.” We know that this was a word given about Sarah, the wife of Abraham, after many barren years. According to this prophecy, she was now going to have a son and out of her lineage leaders would come.

Then we read in Genesis 21: 1 (New American Standard) these words: “Then the Lord took note of Sarah as He had said, and the Lord did for Sarah as He had promised.”

Let’s take a moment to look at this phrase or concept: “the Lord took note of Sarah.” What does this mean “to take note of” and how could this relate to us today if we would reword the phase to this: “The Lord took note of ____ .”  Let’s fill our own names in the blank.

What does this mean? I think it means that the Lord listened and remembered. So, the Lord listened and remembered Sarah. He “took note” of her. Don’t you think that for us today the Lord will also listen to and remember us?

Continuing on with this concept, what does Malachi 3: 16 (NKJV) tell us? “Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord listened and heard them; So a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the Lord and who meditate on His name.”

You and I are in His book of remembrance and so was Sarah. How wonderful is this!

Let’s think about some of the promises that God had made to Sarah. God promised Sarah that:

• She would conceive.
• She would give birth.
• She would become a mother of a child.
• She would become a mother of nations.
• Out of her lineage leaders would come.
• She would have joy.

Truly we can see that God “took note” of Sarah. But then, what about you and me? Here are just a few ways I found that He “takes note” of us.

• He sees us.
• He loves us.
• He calls on us.
• He blesses us.
• He listens and hears us.
• He remembers us.

As we look at the life of Sarah, we find that she went through many seasons, just like you and I do. Yet she was able to experience blessings in both the good times and the bad. Let’s take a moment to think about some of these blessings that God brought to Sarah throughout her life journey.

• He turned her mourning into dancing.
• He multiplied her seed.
• He enlarged her borders.
• He expanded her influence for generations to come.
• He supplied her with grace throughout her life.
• He gave her the desire of her heart – a son.
• He granted her prayer to be fruitful in her life.

Wow! Talk about experiencing the blessings of the Lord in life! Yet,  let’s also remember that Sarah’s journey was also composed of many difficult situations and circumstances amidst these blessings. For example:

• She left her comfort zone.
• She lived with relatives.
• She traveled with relatives.
• She faced disappointments.
• She had unmet expectations.
• She experienced unfulfilled promises.
• She experienced shame and embarrassment.
• She had to deal with people who were different than she was.

You and I have experienced similar situations and circumstances throughout our lives. Like Sarah, we face difficult circumstances and hard challenges as we travel through the multiple seasons of our lives. But also like Sarah, we too can recognize that God blesses us in so many ways!

As we close today, could you take a few minutes to think about some of the ways that God has blessed you in both the good times and the bad. For myself I have been blessed with creative ideas, fruitful ministry, spiritual growth, healing, children, influence … and the list goes on and on. How about you?

Dr. Sharon Predovich