Description for women: inspirational, devoted, faithful, remarkable, fearless, strong, powerful, amazing, fierce, courageous, bold, and brave. This list is in no way complete as there are other descriptions for women as well.

There are many women in the Bible who have been an inspiration based on their lives, and they are a testament of what God has done for them. I would like to examine some of these women from His Word and share something about their lives with you so that many women who are losing faith may be encouraged.

First, we will begin with Sarah. We are told in Genesis that Sarah wanted to have a child earlier in her life but that this never happened until she reached a much older age.

In Genesis 21:1-7 it tells us: “Now the Lord was gracious to Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did for Sarah what he had promised. Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the very time God had promised him. Abraham gave the name Isaac to the son Sarah bore him. When his son Isaac was eight days old, Abraham circumcised him, as God commanded him. Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. Sarah said, “God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me. And she added, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.”

Although Sarah was frustrated and had a weak faith at times and even gave her handmaid over to Abraham because she was barren, God also saw the tremendous faith that she had. Sarah was believed to have had great faith in God’s promises for a child; she was steadfast; hospitable; she had a deep affection for her husband; a sincere love for God; and had hope in what God promised.

Sarah was an example of an “unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight (I Peter 3:4).”

When my husband and I were married, we had plans to start a family and I longed for that to happen. However, it wasn’t until we were married almost 19 years before I became pregnant with my daughter.

Throughout our years of waiting, the Lord encouraged my heart that this would be fulfilled according to His plans for our lives. We were so involved in ministry with youth and children that although I yearned to have our own child, God blessed us immensely in working with so many. I still believed God would fulfill His promises but in His time.

Before I knew I was pregnant, the Lord spoke to me in a very special way and told me that “when I became pregnant that I was to name our daughter a certain name and her middle name was to be spelled a certain way.” Three months later I became pregnant and she was to be born that year on Thanksgiving Day. She came one week early.

Talk about a miracle. She was our miracle and always will be a reminder that no matter how long it takes God to answer prayers and desires, His promises are true no matter what the circumstances.

My prayer is that if someone is going through a period of doubting God to fulfill His promises, that you take a “leap of faith” and continue to walk in the path He has set out for you and He will fulfill what He has promised.

May the Lord bless and keep you in His care.

Blessings,

Yvonne