Topical Bible: Children in Answer to Prayer: To Abraham

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The narrative of Abraham and the promise of a child is a profound testament to the power of prayer and faith in God's promises. Abraham, originally named Abram, is a central figure in the Bible, revered as the patriarch of the Israelites, Ishmaelites, Edomites, and Midianites. His account is primarily found in the Book of Genesis, where his journey of faith and the fulfillment of God's promises to him are detailed.

The Promise of a Child

God's promise to Abraham regarding offspring is first introduced in Genesis 12:2, where God tells Abram, "I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing." Despite this promise, Abram and his wife Sarai (later Sarah) remained childless for many years, which was a source of great distress and longing for them.

In Genesis 15:2-3, Abram expresses his concern to God, saying, "O Lord GOD, what can You give me, since I remain childless and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?" God reassures Abram in Genesis 15:4-5, stating, "This man will not be your heir, but a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir. Look now at the heavens and count the stars, if you are able. Then He declared, 'So shall your offspring be.'"

The Birth of Ishmael

In an attempt to fulfill God's promise through human means, Sarai gives her maidservant Hagar to Abram as a wife, resulting in the birth of Ishmael (Genesis 16:1-4). However, this was not the child of promise that God had intended for Abraham and Sarah.

The Covenant and the Birth of Isaac

God reiterates His promise to Abraham in Genesis 17, changing Abram's name to Abraham, meaning "father of many nations," and Sarai's name to Sarah. In Genesis 17:19, God specifies, "Your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac. I will establish My covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him."

Despite their advanced age, Abraham being 100 and Sarah 90, God fulfills His promise. Genesis 21:1-3 records the miraculous birth: "Now the LORD attended to Sarah as He had said, and the LORD did for Sarah what He had promised. So Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the very time God had promised. Abraham gave the name Isaac to the son Sarah bore to him."

Faith and Fulfillment

The birth of Isaac is a pivotal moment in biblical history, demonstrating God's faithfulness and the power of prayer. Abraham's unwavering faith, even when circumstances seemed impossible, is highlighted in Romans 4:20-21: "Yet he did not waver through disbelief in the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God was able to do what He had promised."

The account of Abraham and the birth of Isaac serves as an enduring example of how God answers prayers in His perfect timing and according to His divine plan. It underscores the importance of faith, patience, and trust in God's promises, even when the fulfillment seems delayed or impossible by human standards.

Nave's Topical Index

Genesis 15:2-5
And Abram said, LORD God, what will you give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus?
Nave's Topical Index

Genesis 21:1,2
And the LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did to Sarah as he had spoken.
Nave's Topical Index

Library

True Prayer --True Power!
... He should be able to answer the great question, "What is ... had some object you would
never find prayer to be ... be blessed, but pray for your children definitely by ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 6 1860/true prayertrue power.htm

Order and Argument in Prayer
... from him on account of the loss of his children and his ... Apart from the answer prayer
is in itself a benediction. ... It is well in prayer to plead with Jehovah his ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 12 1866/order and argument in prayer.htm

Home Dedication.
... us to remark finally, that, in the dedication of our children to the ... to the work
of the ministry, and every indication of His answer to our prayer, given in ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/philips/the christian home/chapter x home dedication.htm

Prayer and Importunity
... Nothing distinguishes the children of God so clearly and ... the horizon, heralding the
success of his prayer and the ... his case three weeks, ere the answer and the ...
/.../bounds/the necessity of prayer/vi prayer and importunity.htm

Parental Duties Considered and Urged.
... mercies are seldom given but in answer to prayer; and seldom long denied to earnest
persevering prayer. ... nothing in his power to make his children wise to ...
/.../sermon xxii parental duties considered.htm

The Source of Power in Prayer.
... of any prayer union or any prayer time statedly ... to the Father, "Bless thy church,"
and the answer comes from ... reflected in the hearts of His children, and where ...
/.../murray/the masters indwelling/xii the source of power.htm

The Faith of Little Children.
... little fellow's way of saying what Abraham said when ... gives you so much joy?" "O,
Jesus Christ answer prayer. ... boy, one of the Sunday school children in Jamaica ...
/.../various/the wonders of prayer/the faith of little children.htm

The Insistency of Prayer
... We set questions to children of which we know the answer ... give a reward not for the
correct answer, but for ... That work is the prayer; and it has its reward apart ...
/.../forsyth/the soul of prayer/chapter vii the insistency of.htm

Prayer
... Abraham be ignorant of us.' Isaiah 63:16. ... Hebrews 5:7. None of God's children are
born dumb. Galatians 4:6. ... (3) He may delay to answer prayer when he will not ...
//christianbookshelf.org/watson/the ten commandments/4 6 prayer.htm

Putting God to Work
... God bestows His great good on His children when they seek it along the avenue of
prayer ... It shows further how God is moved to work in answer to prayer in this ...
//christianbookshelf.org/bounds/the weapon of prayer/ii putting god to work.htm