“Now Abraham had taken another wife, named Keturah, and she bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah.” (Genesis 25:1-2 BSB)
“Abraham lived 175 years, then he took his last breath, and died at a very old age. After a long and full life, he joined his ancestors in death.” (Genesis 25:7-8 GWT)
“But those who wait for the LORD [who expect, look for, and hope in Him] will gain new strength and renew their power; they will lift up their wings [and rise up close to God] like eagles [rising toward the sun]; they will run and not become weary, they will walk and not grow tired.” (Isaiah 40:31 AMP)
I am confident that you are beginning to see the progression that Daddy has been taking me through. He started with Caleb at 85 to jar me out of my funk. Then He moved me to Moses to stretch my boundaries. Next, He took me to see Abraham, the father of my faith, as He led me down the “Road to Refirement.”
Most of my life I have heard the account of Abraham and Sarah. The miraculous account of giving birth to Isaac, the “impossible” conception of the promised child. Over and over I have heard of the willingness of Abraham to offer his beloved child of promise as a sacrifice, only to have the Lord provide a ram. But I don’t think I have ever heard a Sunday School lesson, or a sermon, on what took place after Sarah died. Have you? Do you know what happened for the next 40 plus years after Sarah left this earth? Now to show my age, as Paul Harvey would say, “Now for the rest of the story.”
When Sarah died Abraham was approximately 130 years old (or should I say “young”?). He then remarried, and with his new wife fathered 5 more children. What I always thought was a one time miracle with the conception of Isaac was actually the manifestation of “youth” which lasted for the rest of Abraham’s life.
Remember the promise of Kingdom benefits outlined by David in Psalm 103 which culminated in “renewed youth?”… “Who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” (Psalm 103:5 NKJV) I especially like this verse as written in the GOD’S WORD Translation…”the one who fills your life with blessings so that you become young again like the eagle.” Abraham got young again, and never again grew old. He “breathed his last breath” when he knew he had finished his course (completed his assignment) and chose to move on to be with his family who had already moved to the next phase of life that we refer to as death. The Apostle Paul describes the ideal way to transition from this life to the next. You decide when it is time to go. It is knowing that you have run your race (lived your full life) and finished your course (completed your assignment). That is exactly what took place with Abraham.
With Caleb I was raised out of depression and given hope for the future. With Moses I was inspired to stretch my expectations for longevity. Now with Abraham I was challenged to take Daddy’s promise of “youth” personally and begin expecting not only a long life, but a strong life in which the aging process is slowed, and even reversed, through the release of the “youth” that dwells within my spirit.
Daddy allowed me the freedom to move at my own pace on changing the way I was thinking about “growing old.” Each of these “Milestones” represent about a 6 month period in which I was pondering the Truths that Daddy was sharing, and renewing my mind to think like Him. He has been transforming me on the inside in order to alter what I experieince on the outside.
Tomorrow we will move to the Milestone 4 – Enoch.