A Story of God and All of Us - By Roma Downey Page 0,7
"No, Uncle. We must go."
As the bodies of the wounded are loaded onto carts for the ride back home, Lot's wife tries to rationalize with Abram. "Come with us ," she offers.
Abram looks deep into her eyes for what seems like an eternity. Then he turns in disgust and walks past his men. "Let's go," he orders them over his shoulder. Abram and his soldiers leave.
The air is heavy. Lot and his wife stand silently amid the slain enemy, knowing Abram will never again trust Lot.
Abram doesn't turn back. Instead, he sets his mind to the grieving widows he must console and the dead friends he will have to bury. The hardest part will be facing Sarai, and trying to explain to her how he could have let Lot and his wife continue on to Sodom after the staggering
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cost his men paid to rescue them. She has always trusted in his wisdom, but this time, Abram knows, he has let her down.
God has promised Abram a land flowing with milk and honey, and
descendants as numerous as the stars. Abram's faith never wavers. He immediately does as God asks. He truly believes in God and His promises.
Yet he has become frustrated by God's timetable. When will Sarai bear him a son? Or any child, for that matter? Abram's beard is now almost completely gray. And though aged, Sarai's beauty is still beyond compare--she is the living embodiment of a princess. The shared adventure of their nomadic lifestyle is enhanced by their many attempts to have a child, but the idea that Abram will truly be the father of many nations seems hopeless.
Abram stands alone in the cold desert night, staring up into the sky. A campfire burns down to its final embers. Wind rattles the tent behind him, where Sarai shivers as she sleeps. He thinks of the men slain in battle while rescuing Lot, and the futility of their loss.
"Abram," whispers Sarai, shivering as she emerges from the tent. The firelight illuminates her beauty. She is wrapped in a thick blanket woven of coarse fabric that protects her from the desert winds. But even covered by a blanket, her beauty takes Abram's breath away. "Come inside," she says lovingly, holding open the tent flap.
Abram is shivering. He sees the inside of the tent, and their bed, so warm and safe. But instead he turns from his wife, gazes up into the sky, and considers the enormity of the universe above and its millions of stars, as if comprehending the vast scope of God's creation for the first time.
Then he collapses.
"Abram!" Sarai screams, racing to him. When she looks into his eyes she sees nothing but his deep belief in God's promise.
"All the stars. Count them! Count them!" he shouts.
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Sarai cradles his head, terrified that her beloved husband is losing his mind.
She strokes his beard to calm him.
"Our Creator, who made the stars, will give us that many descendants!" he says with complete faith, reminding himself as much as Sarai of God's promises. The fire in Abram's eyes grows brighter as his revelation continues to unfold. "To populate our land! For us! And for our children!"
Now it is Sarai's turn to be downcast. "How long have we been praying for children?"
He doesn't answer.
She looks straight into his eyes and says three very hard words: "I. Am.
Barren."
"But he has promised! You will have a child! You will!"
She shakes her head. "I can't. I won't. There is no chance for me to carry a child."
They hold a look between them. The silence is deafening. Finally Sarai speaks, slowly, softly, deliberately. "It is too late for me, but you are a man.
For you there is still a chance." Sarai bites her lip. She pulls her husband closer. "God's plans are many, and His promises will always be kept--but in His own way. Who is it for us to say how God's plans will be fulfilled?"
"What are you saying?"
"I am saying that God has promised that you will be a father. He has not promised that I will be the one to bear your children."
Sarai nods toward the tent of Hagar, the beautiful Egyptian servant. The light of a candle flickers inside the tent. "Go to her, Abram," says Sarai. "Go with my permission."
Abram looks at his wife in disbelief. "No," he says firmly. "No. No. No."
Sarai nods, looking resigned. "Yes," she says, kissing him gently. "You must."
Abram is torn. He has always been faithful to Sarai, believing it to be 22