Minimalist Bible: The Covenant — Birth of Isaac
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Written by Chad - |
God has given me the idea to pursue a personal design project of creating minimalist posters to share the awesome stories of the Bible. If you missed out on previous posters, don't worry, I have created a landing page where you can easily catch up. Check it out here.
This poster series comes from the book of Genesis. It is a story filled with tests of faith, promises and miracles. I'm excited today to reveal The Covenant: Birth of Isaac, part seven of an eleven part series.
The Covenant: Birth of Isaac begins in Genesis 21:1-7 (NLT) which says, "The Lord kept his word and did for Sarah exactly what he had promised. She became pregnant, and she gave birth to a son for Abraham in his old age. This happened at just the time God had said it would. And Abraham named their son Isaac. Eight days after Isaac was born, Abraham circumcised him as God had commanded. Abraham was 100 years old when Isaac was born. And Sarah declared, 'God has brought me laughter. All who hear about this will laugh with me. Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse a baby? Yet I have given Abraham a son in his old age!'"
God Keeps His Word, Period.
There is a chill in the air on an important fall evening, but her anticipation for tonight's concert keeps her warm. Standing on the dark stage, she secretly peers through the curtains at all the grandparents, moms, dads, siblings and friends eagerly finding their seats.
The hustle and bustle backstage seems to swirl around her in slow motion as she carefully visualizes every note she will be singing in a few short minutes. Every late night rehearsal, every voice coaching session, and every minute of agonizing memorization is about to culminate in one shining moment of glory. She arrives to her dressing room and gazes at the sparkling dress hanging on the rack with her name on it. As she applies her finishing touches of make-up, goosebumps start to rise on her arms and she soaks in the moment. Tonight is a very special night.
Nerves are building with every minute that draws closer. Another quick glance through the stage curtain reveals an auditorium that is filling in, but the most important seat in the house, seat 25 of section D, remains empty. Thirty minutes before showtime. He's just running late. He said that he would be here.
Before she knows it, the curtains are drawn, the spotlights are shining down illuminating her beautiful dress and the orchestra begins to play. Smiling, she starts to feel the groove, opens her mouth, and marvelous vocals flow from the stage. Her stage presence is mesmerizing as she moves naturally. Every note she sings oozes with emotion that captivates the audience's inner core. She has the audience in the palm of her hand as they hang on her every note. Her entire performance is flawless and as the audience stands to applaud, there isn't a single dry eye in the whole place—except for one seat. The vacant seat 25 in section D.
Once again, she is disappointed by him. All the praise and gifts received from her encouraging audience couldn't make up for the disappointment she felt from one person's broken promise. All she wanted was for him to be there. She wanted to see him clapping and cheering for her. She deeply desired his support. As she wiped the tears away from another broken heart, she wondered if he would ever truly keep his word.
We've probably all had a story similar to this one. Someone told you, "You have my word," and then they broke their promise to you. Maybe not intentionally, but for whatever reason they didn't show up. They didn't get the job done. They forgot. They [ INSERT EXCUSE HERE ]. The emotional pain attached to this stings more than salt in an open wound because so much of your hope was wrapped up in their promise.
Thankfully, God isn't like us. Numbers 23:19 says, "God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through?"
When God says he's going to do something, it gets done, period. God is a doer not just a sayer. God LOVES coming through on his word because it is true to his nature. He can't help it! Look at what happened in the story of Sarah and Abraham. God came through on his word and Sarah was able to give birth to Isaac even in her "impossible" old age. It brought immense joy, happiness and excitement to them. Sarah was able to give Abraham an heir, something extremely important for that day and age. I imagine the party they had that day included wine that was flowing, a fattened calf on the grill and the sound of joy echoing off the valley walls.
As humans, we just fail. It happens. It's in our nature. BUT our God never fails. Be careful not to let your past, human experiences with let downs shape your view of our consistent, reliable, faithful God.
