And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God and being fully convinced that what He had promised, He was also able to perform. (Romans 4:19-21)

The Lord Gives Life To A Dead Body

Abraham was eighty-six years old when he had a son by Hagar, handmaiden to Sarah. Ishmael would not be the son of promise because the birth of Isaac would be achieved only by the power of God. The Lord promised Abraham, at seventy-five, he would be a father by Sarah, who was ten years younger. Abraham would reach the age of one hundred before the promise was fulfilled. Sarah was ninety when she gave birth to a healthy baby boy. Eleven years passed from the original promise given to Abraham and Sarah to have a son, and Sarah supposed the Lord had forgotten his promise. She is the one who proposed for Abraham to have a child through Hagar. After Hagar was pregnant, she began to despise Sarah, and the conflict between Sarah and Hagar increased.

Ishmael was born when Abraham was eighty-six, but he was not the son of promise. The miracle of Isaac’s birth was how the Lord formed in the womb of a ninety-year-old woman a child conceived by a man one hundred years of age. Abraham’s body was dead, and Sarah’s womb was dead. It was impossible for Abraham to conceive a child. Sarah was far beyond childbearing age, and at the age of ninety, her womb was dead. No human science could have changed that. Sarah could not have survived a pregnancy of nine months and delivered a healthy baby without the power of God. The birth of Isaac was accomplished solely by the will and power of God.

The birth of Isaac was a testimony of faith. Abraham may not have understood the mechanics of how he and Sarah would have a child, but his faith resided in a deep love for the word of God. Twenty-five years had passed since the Lord first made a promise. The word of God never fails, and Abraham believed that. He knew he could not conceive children. Sarah knew her womb was dead. There was no procreative life in Abraham or Sarah. Abraham was not weak in faith. He did not doubt that God could give them a son. Knowing his own body was beyond his ability to conceive a child did not diminish his faith in the word of the Lord.

Abraham had a deep resolve about God’s word. Most men would argue and doubt the promise of a son after a man’s body is dead. Abraham was strengthened in his faith that God could accomplish the impossible. And he faced the impossible task of having a son, but he was fully convinced the Lord would make a way. The faith of Abraham was so great, he believed God could bring life out of a dead body. And this truth would be tested years later when God told Abraham to sacrifice Isaac as a burnt offering. Again, Abraham’s faith in the word of God is absolute. God tells him to kill his son, and he almost succeeds but is stopped by an angel of the Lord. Abraham believed God would raise Isaac from the dead because God had already shown he could bring life from a dead body. Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, evidenced by the unseen.

Two stories define the faith of Abraham. First, he believed God could give him a son, although he and Sarah were barren and their bodies dead. Life came from two dead bodies when Isaac was born. Second, Abraham believed God could raise the dead. He had faith that when he killed Isaac, God would bring him back to life. He told his servants he and Isaac would worship, and they (plural) would return. Faith in the Christian must be like Abraham, who believed in the power of God to give life to a dead body. There can be no doubt you will die. Whether your death will begin in life depends on whether you have the faith of Abraham. God can make your dead body be raised in life if you do His will. If you do not believe in the power of God, your dead body will be the beginning of a deadness in eternity without hope and life. The choice is yours. Do you believe God can make a dead body have life?