I have had a companion with me all week. It is a scripture about Sara, Abraham’s wife.

“Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised.”

Hebrews 11:11

“Received strength” struck me. I thought of a discussion I recently had with a dear friend. She bore her sixth child a few months ago, a number of years after her other children. A caboose baby. My friend and I have talked often of the particular challenges. There are definite differences between having children in your 20’s and early 30’s than when approaching your 40’s. I know. We had a wonderful caboose of our own.

Maybe that is why this verse stood out to me. The realities of being an older mother being more fore-front through the experiences of my friend. I’m sure Sara was beyond grateful for the amazing blessing of a long-awaited child. I wonder if some trepidation was also mixed in though, especially as her body adjusted to the growing life inside her. Intensified discomfort making day-to-day life more difficult. What about after the birth – the slow recovery, the increased tired. There are a number of reasons why the biological clock is a thing. Yet, Sara was strengthened by the Lord. “…[She] judged him faithful who promised.”

Did that mean it was easy for her? Judging by my own life experiences and others, I would give a resounding “no.”

It has been an interesting topic to ponder. How challenging some days must have been for Sara. She must have needed to rely on her faith and trust in a loving, all-knowing God. One who not only had His promise concerning Abraham’s seed to fulfill, but also had her best interests at heart. To have faith that He was perfectly aware of her struggles and needs amidst the big picture of establishing the House of Israel.

Have you ever found yourself wondering if God was really aware of your particular hard? Perhaps moments of concern wondering if you had what it takes to persevere? Maybe you have had similar experiences with answered prayers when you found the answer not what or how you expected. Times when you have asked the Lord, “Are you sure?”

Boy, have I. Often. It is such a comfort to me to read and think about others who may have experienced the same. Who probably had moments of doubt or struggle, but who continued to trust in the Lord through the challenge. Those who have accepted the call and grown and become more because of those stretching moments. And really, that is why we are here on earth, isn’t it? To do our best to learn and to strive to be like God, Our Heavenly Father? That process shouldn’t be easy, considering how far we have to go.

I recently came across this quote from Elder Bednar. He was speaking to students at Ensign College in January of this year. I will post a link for the full address below. During the address, he taught this powerful truth.

“Most of your answers won’t be what you want when you want…Don’t expect him just to provide a delivery service. You don’t pray to tell God what you want or what you need. You pray to find out what God wants for you. Big difference. That will change what you pray forever. And many times what he wants for us, because it involves change in what we are and what we do, is not something we readily want to hear or accept…He is not interested in making our lives hard. To become what we are destined to become as his sons and daughters doesn’t come by staying the same and it doesn’t come by not having to deal with some demanding and difficult things.”

Something to think about. Something to learn from.

Elder Bednar’s full address can be found here: https://www.ensign.edu/devotional/elder-david-a-bednar-and-jeff-simpson-01-2023