Pregnant? I'm too Old!

I believe I know how Sarah in the Bible must have felt when she was told that she was pregnant. "Pregnant? Me? No way, I'm too old!"

I am not pregnant in the natural, but I have been told many times that I am pregnant in the spiritual. I recently heard a women's minister talk about being pregnant in the spiritual realm. She told of how God has impregnated us with ministry and how one day this ministry would be birthed.

I felt too old to be this way in the natural, as I was soon to be 48 years old. In the spirit, I felt as if I were too old and too tired to get excited about the word I was hearing. When I was younger, a message of this kind would have excited me for days, weeks, and perhaps months; yet this time I could not grab it for five seconds. Too many unfulfilled dreams lay in the dust. There were too many prophecies that seemed lost, and I felt powerless to believe them any longer.

As I shared my feelings with a friend the next day, the Holy Spirit tugged on my heart. I could hear myself as I spoke those words of defeat and discouragement. I thought of Sarah in Genesis chapter 18 when she was told in her old age she would be pregnant and bear a son:

They said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” And he said, “She is in the tent.” The Lord said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife shall have a son.” And Sarah was listening at the tent door behind him. Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in years. The way of women had ceased to be with Sarah. So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I am worn out, and my lord is old, shall I have pleasure?” The Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?’ (Genesis 18:9-13 ESV)

Sarah was having a hard time believing that what God was promising her would really come true. But the next verse is what Sarah needed to hear, and it is what I needed to be reminded of also:

"Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son." Genesis 18:14 ESV)

Those words brought life back into my spirit. Is anything too hard for God? Can I truly walk in a calling that was placed over my life -- even before I was born -- now that I am old? Will God keep His word He impregnated me with years ago? Could it really happen?

I had not realized I had given up on the vision God had given me for my life. I had been busy doing the routine things with vigor. Yet, in my heart, I longed for much more. I wanted to be used by God and see His power flowing from me to others in need. I craved the anointing of God to preach and teach His Word to those who needed to hear about the God of Love. The Scripture in Isaiah had for years rung in my ears:

"The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound ..." (Isaiah 61:1 ESV)

I must not give up, and neither should you. Whatever God has spoken into your life, don't let go of it. Keep your vision clear and continue to believe. Nothing is impossible with God. Nothing can stop us from receiving all God has promised us except our doubt and unbelief.

Yes, I'm pregnant -- pregnant with renewed faith, hope, and promise. You can be, too.

Copyright © Martha Noebel, used with permission.