Promises, Problems, Perplexities: The Birth of Isaac

Devotional

Day 1: Promises over performance: God will do it

God began the story of redemption by speaking promises, not asking for performance. He told Abram that He would make him into a great nation and that all the families of the earth would be blessed through him. Your future rests less on your ability and more on God's reliability. When you feel small or uncertain, remember that the Creator delights to carry His people and to do for them what they cannot do for themselves. Receive His promise with open hands and expect Him to make you a blessing in His time [42:54].

Genesis 12:1–3 — The Lord told Abram to leave his homeland, promising to show him a new land, make him into a great nation, lift his name to be a blessing, stand with those who bless him, stand against those who oppose him, and bring blessing to every family on earth through him.

Reflection: Where is your confidence resting on your own performance rather than on God’s promise, and what one practice this week could help you receive rather than strive?

Day 2: When problems multiply, walk by faith

Promises often meet problems, some outside our control and some of our own making. Abraham and Sarah waited through years of barrenness, then tried shortcuts that only complicated their lives. God’s way is not always the fastest way, but it is always the best way. When you can’t see the ending, do the next right thing, keep your heart soft, and keep your feet moving in obedience. Resist the urge to kick down closed doors, trusting that the One who called you knows exactly why He asks you to wait [49:05].

Genesis 15:1–6 — God told Abram not to fear, assuring him of protection and a rich reward. Though Abram pointed out he had no child and a servant would inherit, God promised a son from his own body and compared his descendants to the countless stars. Abram believed the Lord, and that faith was counted as righteousness.

Reflection: Which closed door are you most tempted to force open right now, and what would trusting obedience look like in the next 48 hours?

Day 3: Perplexed but persevering: pray for others first

Some seasons feel bewildering: you watch others receive what you are still pleading for. Abraham prayed for Abimelech’s household to be fruitful, and God answered, even while Sarah’s arms were still empty. Rather than letting envy rot the bones, Scripture invites you to give what you need most—encouragement, grace, help, and prayer. Interceding for another in your place of lack is not denial; it is faith in action and love at work. As you bless others, expect God to meet you with a steady heart and surprising mercies [53:57].

Genesis 20:17–18 — Abraham prayed to God for Abimelech, and God restored Abimelech’s family so the women could bear children again, for the Lord had closed every womb in that house because of Sarah, Abraham’s wife.

Reflection: Who specifically can you pray for this week to receive the very breakthrough you are longing for, and how will you follow up to encourage them?

Day 4: Is anything too hard for the Lord?

The God who promises also sets an appointed time. Sarah laughed with an aching heart at the thought of nursing a child in old age, yet God asked a gentle question: Is anything too hard for the Lord? He visited at the time He had spoken and did exactly what He said, turning disbelief into delight. Isaac’s very name—laughter—became a memorial to grace. God may not owe us anything, but He binds Himself to His word, and nothing in creation can prevent Him from keeping it. Take courage: His timeline may stretch your faith, but His faithfulness will not fail [54:20].

Genesis 18:10–14 — The Lord announced that within a year Sarah would bear a son. Hearing from the tent, Sarah laughed because of her age and weakness. The Lord asked why she laughed and reaffirmed the promise, declaring that at the set time He would return and she would have a son, for nothing is too difficult for Him.

Reflection: Where do you hear your own heart laughing in disbelief, and what promise from God’s word will you hold onto this week in response?

Day 5: Surrender the precious; behold the greater Substitute

Faith matures when the most precious thing is placed on the altar. Abraham journeyed to Moriah, laid his miracle son on the wood, and discovered that God both tests and provides. A ram caught in the thicket took Isaac’s place, foreshadowing the day when Jesus, the beloved Son, would carry His cross up Calvary with no substitute, because He would be the Substitute for us. In light of such love, surrender is not loss; it is trust. Lay your future, your family, and your plans before Him, and find that the Father who did not spare His own Son will surely care for you. Open your hands today, and walk down the mountain with renewed worship [50:23].

Genesis 22:1–14 — God tested Abraham by asking him to offer his only son, Isaac, whom he loved, on a mountain in Moriah. After three days, Isaac carried the wood as Abraham prepared the altar, but at the decisive moment the angel of the Lord stopped him. Abraham saw a ram caught by its horns and offered it in Isaac’s place, naming the place “The Lord Will Provide.”

Reflection: What specific plan, dream, or relationship do you sense God inviting you to place on the altar, and what concrete act of surrender could you take this week?

Sermon Summary

Christmas is about the birth of a child and the gift of a Son. From Isaiah’s promise to the manger in Bethlehem, God’s story moves through a long line of sons, and today I traced it back to Abraham and Sarah and the birth of Isaac. Their journey gives us a pattern for hope: promises, problems, perplexities, and prophecies. God called Abram, not with a command to produce but with a promise to receive. He would do what we could not. Yet the story immediately runs into impossibility: Sarah is barren. God chooses the weak to confound the strong, and He invites us to walk by faith when we cannot see the path.

The waiting revealed two kinds of problems—God-ordained and man-made. Hagar was a shortcut that multiplied sorrow. The Abimelech episode showed how God’s sovereignty can rescue us even from our own foolishness. Sometimes obedience is slower, but it is always better. Then came perplexities. Abraham was asked to pray for Abimelech’s household to bear children while his own prayers went unanswered. Lot’s story spiraled into sin, and Abraham’s brother had twelve sons, yet Abraham and Sarah had none. In such seasons, envy corrodes; intercession heals. Give what you need most.

After decades, God spoke again: “At this time next year.” Sarah laughed—first at the absurdity, later in joy—as Isaac, “laughter,” was born. God will sooner defy the laws of nature than His word. In our own home, after the sorrow of losing two sons, God gave us a boy we named Isaac, a living reminder that His grace meets us in the ashes.

But the pattern points beyond Isaac. On Moriah, the first mention of love in Scripture describes a father giving his only son. Isaac carried the wood; his will was yielded to the father. God provided a ram that day—but on Calvary, there was no substitute for Jesus, because He became the substitute for us. That is why a Child was born: so all the families of the earth, including yours, might be blessed in Him. Today, I invited you to entrust your past and your future to Jesus, to lay everything on the altar and walk by faith.

Key Takeaways

1. Promises reshape how we live God shifts us from achieving to receiving—His covenant is anchored in what He will do, not our capacity. Faith is not denial of reality; it is confidence in God’s character when reality contradicts desire. Let His word, not your circumstances, become the loudest voice shaping your decisions. Waiting becomes worship when it is tethered to promise. [43:23]
2. Shortcuts multiply pain; choose obedience Hagar and Abimelech are cautionary signs that impatience creates downstream consequences we can’t foresee. God’s way is rarely the fastest route, but it is always the surest. Don’t kick down doors He has closed; what waits behind them isn’t His best. Trust the delays as instruments of wisdom, not evidence of neglect. [49:05]
3. Bless others amid your unanswered prayers Abraham prayed fruitfulness over Abimelech while his own tent remained silent, and God answered. Intercession loosens envy’s grip and keeps our hearts soft in the wait. Give what you need most—prayer, encouragement, presence—and you’ll find God reshaping you even before He reshapes your circumstances. The pathway to breakthrough often runs through someone else’s need. [54:36]
4. Nothing is too hard for God Sarah’s laughter turned from disbelief to delight because God kept His word in a way that defied nature, not truth. He is not obligated to our timelines, but He is faithful to His promises. Let your “impossible” become an altar where trust is offered and joy is born. Hold your watch lightly and His word tightly. [65:39]
5. Surrender your future on the altar Moriah teaches that love is proved in relinquishment; the first mention of love is a father yielding his only son. True faith doesn’t negotiate outcomes—it offers everything back to God. In Jesus, the pattern is fulfilled: the Son carries the wood and becomes our substitute. Worship is the willingness to trust God with what we treasure most. [67:53]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[41:34] - Series Launch: A Child Is Born
[42:31] - Promises to Abraham
[44:12] - Problems in the Promise
[48:31] - Walking by Faith, Avoiding Shortcuts
[49:34] - Abimelech: Sovereignty and Rescue
[52:18] - Perplexities of Waiting
[53:57] - Give What You Need Most
[59:55] - Perseverance Through Personal Loss
[60:38] - Prophecies: “At This Time Next Year”
[64:27] - Isaac’s Birth and Holy Laughter
[67:53] - Mount Moriah: Surrender Your Future
[71:32] - Jesus, Our Substitute at Calvary
[73:08] - Receive Grace: Prayer of Salvation
[74:38] - Responding in Worship and Prayer

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading
- Genesis 12:1-3
- Genesis 21:1-7
- Genesis 22:1-14

Observation questions

What specific promise does God make to Abram in Genesis 12:1-3, and how does that promise shift the emphasis from human doing to divine giving? [42:31]
How is Sarah’s reaction described when the promise of a son is renewed and then fulfilled (Genesis 17–21)? What does the name Isaac mean and why is that important? [01:05:39]
What happens on Mount Moriah in Genesis 22:1-14, and who becomes the substitute in that moment? [01:07:53]
What man-made shortcuts or mistakes appear in Abraham and Sarah’s story (Hagar; the Abimelech episode), and what immediate consequences follow those choices? [48:31]

Interpretation questions

How does the shift from “achieving” to “receiving” (God’s promise to Abram) change the posture a person takes toward goals, risks, and daily decisions? [43:23]
In what ways do shortcuts—attempts to force God’s promise before His timing—create problems that outlast the immediate gain? What principle explains why impatience often multiplies pain? [49:05]
How does praying for someone else’s blessing (Abraham interceding for Abimelech) reshape a heart that is waiting for its own answer? What might be happening spiritually when one gives away what he or she most needs? [54:36]
How does Abraham’s willingness to surrender Isaac model the difference between sentimental attachment and obedient surrender—and how does that point forward to Christ’s work? [01:07:53]

Application questions

Which specific promise of God are you clinging to right now, and how will you let that promise be the loudest voice in one decision you face this week? (Be concrete about the decision.) [43:23]
Name a place where impatience has tempted you to “kick down a closed door” (a shortcut, compromise, or quick-fix). What is one obedient step you will take instead this week? [49:05]
Who is one person you can pray for or actively bless in the area you most desire for yourself (for example: pregnancy, job, reconciliation)? What will you do this week to bless them practically? [54:36]
Identify an “impossible” situation in your life. What would it look like to treat that situation as an altar—letting go of the timetable while holding tight to God’s promise? What is one practical act of trust you will take? [01:05:39]
What is the most precious thing you are tempted to hold back from God (time, a relationship, a plan, a child, reputation)? What concrete step will you take to surrender it to God this month? [01:07:53]
How will you practice walking by faith this week when the path is unclear? Name a simple spiritual habit (reading a promise, a specific prayer, an act of obedience) you will commit to for the next seven days. [42:31]

Notes for the group leader
- Allow a few minutes of silence after the observation questions so people can turn to the reading and reflect.
- Encourage concrete answers in the application time—ask for one small next step each person can take.
- Keep the tone gentle and pastoral: these questions aim to help people trust God’s promises, resist shortcuts, bless others, and learn to surrender.

Sermon Clips

You see, God chooses the weak to confound the strong, and that's exactly what he does here in this story.And maybe today, at one of our campuses or wherever you are watching today, you may think you're unusable.You may think that you're too broken or too weak or your past is too bad, but God can use anyone he chooses so long as we are willing to live by faith and trust him with our future.You know, it's not about our strength.It's not about our greatness, but it's about the power and greatness of God and what he can do through people who trust in him. [00:45:51] (39 seconds) #GodUsesTheWeak

But, at this point in their story, they have this God-ordained problem that is compounded, then, by man-made problems.Man-made problems.How many times have your problems been multiplied by your own bad decisions?Well, Sarah suggests that they try to have a surrogate child through her servant, Hagar.And foolishly, Abraham does have a child through Hagar, and he creates major problems for all of them.You know, God's way might not always be the fastest way, but it is always the best way.The best way.God has wise and good reasons for the delays in your life.He has wise and good reasons.And so, don't, in your impatience, kick down doors that God himself has closed. [00:48:19] (56 seconds) #WaitOnGodsTiming

Doing things your way instead of God's way, even with the best intentions, always has negative, unforeseen, downstream consequences.You just gotta keep doing it God's way and trust him.They have more man-made problems.Now, at this point in the story, and we'll see it here in a minute, God had prophesied that Sarah would have a child within the year.And in that year where she's supposed to get pregnant and she's supposed to have this child of promise that they've been waiting on, there she finds herself separated from Abraham, a concubine in Abimelech's house.It's a total disaster and mess. [00:50:14] (41 seconds) #ChooseGodsWay

At the end of chapter 22, we learn that Abraham has a brother we were introduced to in chapter 11.And from chapter 11 to chapter 22, what we learn is that Abraham's brother had 12 children.12.Does he have a promise from God?No.Oh, but he has 12 children, and Abraham and Sarah have none.These people are not living by faith.They have little regard for God and his ways, and yet they're having children while Sarah and Abraham are waiting on God to keep his word.It's perplexing. [00:56:32] (37 seconds) #FaithInTheWaiting

And we soon found out that we were expecting another child.But on September 27th at the 20-week ultrasound, when we were expecting to find out whether we were having a boy or a girl, instead, we found out that our child had no heartbeat.It was disorienting, confusing.We thought we were obeying God and doing what he had wanted us to do and acting in faith.There was no medical explanation.And so losing Titus was confusing, to say the least. [00:58:13] (34 seconds) #FaithThroughLoss

Isaac's name means laughter.They laughed in disbelief at the prophecy of his birth.But later, they laughed with joy as they held their miracle son.Is anything too hard for God?Tell me.Is anything too hard for God?God would sooner defy the very laws of nature than defy his word.The Lord did as he had promised.And though the New Testament letter of Romans would later say that Abraham and Sarah were as good as dead, it says that by faith, Isaac was conceived and born according to God's promise. [01:05:33] (43 seconds) #NothingIsTooHardForGod

I believe that Abraham's faith is a pattern for all of us to follow.I ask you today, what is the most precious thing in your life?What would it look like for you to surrender your future to him entirely, to lay your plans on the altar and say, Lord, I'm trusting you with everything, my whole future, my whole family, my whole life. [01:09:31] (27 seconds) #TrustHimWithEverything

As I said, the story of Isaac points to the story of Christ.Jesus was that long-awaited son of Abraham.His birth was promised and prophesied.His parents surely faced problems and perplexities.But just as God said, Mary conceived and gave birth to a miracle son.And that son, the only begotten son loved by the father was not just born, but he was born to be given up as a sacrifice.He, like Isaac, would carry the wood of his own death up Mount Calvary.But when Jesus reached the top, there was no substitute for him because he was the substitute for us. [01:11:50] (57 seconds) #IsaacPointsToChrist

Ask a question about this sermon

Chatbot

What marks the first biblical use of love?

Why did God make Abimelech's house barren?

How should believers respond to perplexing unanswered prayers?