Genesis Chapter 21 - Place Markers

Sarah gave birth to Isaac exactly as promised and foretold by God. She said, "God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me." (vs. 6) This was a time of great joy for Sarah and those who had been praying over her sorrow of not having a son. In chapter 18, verse 12, Sarah had laughed when she first heard the news that she would have a son within the year.

Here is food for thought: Could her laughter in that moment have stemmed from her inward acceptance that God was going to bless her? Was it the beginning of exuberant joy, that overwhelming feeling of elation that one has after waiting on God for a long time, and finally receiving the answer hoped for?
Have you ever prayed for something fervently and unceasingly, and then the answer came you had long waited for? In your heart you knew it seemed impossible, but God thrives in things thought impossible, and it is hard to contain the fountain of bubbling joy that answered prayer brings.

Even though Sarah was past childbearing age, and it may have sounded funny to her that she would conceive a child, I believe in her heart she knew that God was able to do anything He said. And He said He was going to give her the gift of joy and laughter through a child of her own.

Just as God delights in sharing our joys, He also watches over the broken hearted. Hagar and Ishmael were sent away from Abraham’s family because Ishmael tormented Isaac. However, God heard their cries and provided water in the desert for them, and promised them a future.

Ishmael was to become a leader of a great nation also. Rather than gratefulness for God’s intervention in Hagar and Ishmael’s lives, the descendants of Ishmael became a nation who were hostile to Israel and to God (Psalm 83:1-6). In Jeremiah 29:11 we read: "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Are we grateful for what God has done and is doing in our lives?

Abraham made it a practice to show his gratitude for God’s intervention by building wells or altars, and worshipping God at those markers. One of the wells built by Abraham had been seized by Abimelech’s servants. When Abraham complained to Abimelech, the two of them formed a treaty that kindness would be shown between the two nations. Abraham gave Abimelech a gift of seven lambs as a witness to the treaty, and the place was named Beersheba. This location was at the southern tip of the land given to Abraham, the land we know as Israel today.

Beersheba stands for "two men swore an oath". Since there was already a well there, Abraham planted a tree and called upon the name of the Lord, once again showing worship and gratitude for God’s protection and goodness.

It would be beneficial for us to have place markers where battles have been won in our lives so that we might remember God’s infinite goodness and intervention on our behalf. We should reflect on what He has done for us because it speaks of His constant presence in our lives, and His plan which is continually being worked out. In dark moments, times of doubt and confusion, we can look back to the "well" or "altar" that we built, our markers. Just recalling how God saw us through those times encourages us in the present. It is a handrail to grab hold of when we think we are slipping.

Thank you, Father God, for your ever present help in times of trouble, and for times of great joy. You are always faithful.