By faith Sarah herself received power…since she considered him faithful who had promised. Hebrews 11:11
Someone may have said to you, “What do you want from God? Name it and claim it! Nothing is impossible with God. The only limitation is your faith.”
But notice that Sarah’s faith rested on God’s promise. God had promised a child to Sarah, but that promise has not been given to every person.
God has not promised that every woman will have a child. God has not promised that every sickness will be healed. So, it would be very cruel to say to a couple who long for a child, “Sarah believed, and if you have enough faith you can have children too.”
Faith, in the Bible, is not wish fulfillment. Faith is not a creative act by which we bring what we want into being. Faith is the means by which we receive what God has promised to give.
Thomas Manton says in his sermon on Hebrews 11: “Wherever we put forth faith we must have a promise, otherwise it is but fancy, not faith.” Faith is not trusting God to fulfill your dreams. Faith is trusting God to fulfill His promises. Faith is tied to the promise.
How did Sarah come to believe this promise? She had not always believed it. The first time she heard it, she laughed. But later, she came to believe because God had spoken.
Are you struggling to believe God’s promises? Here is God’s encouragement for you: “All the promises of God find their Yes in him [Jesus]” (2 Cor. 1:20). Jesus went to the cross to guarantee God’s promises for you—ask with faith and receive.
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