Sarah: God’s Superwoman and Mother of Nations

The saying, “Behind every man’s success, there is a woman,” is not just a coincidence but part of God’s design. When God created the earth and formed man from the dust, He saw that man  felt something was missing. To fill this void, God created woman from man. This truth is beautifully illustrated in the story of Adam and Eve in the Bible.

[Genesis 2:18, 22, 24 NIV] 18 The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him." ... 22 Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. ... 24 That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.

Women have always been a source of strength for all of us—whether it’s our mothers, wives, or others, each has a unique story. On this Women’s Day, I want to dedicate this blog to all the women who make their families stronger. Their love, care, and sacrifices they make to support their families are truly priceless. Without them, our lives would feel incomplete.

A woman is not only a source of strength for her husband but also plays a vital role in fulfilling God’s purpose on earth. Without women, there would be no offsprings to carry on God’s plan. God’s will is accomplished on earth through both men and women, with women bringing the seed to next generation of God’s plan.

One of the most common questions women ask is how they can receive the blessings that God has planned for their lives. Every woman desires blessings, whether it’s a loving family, a good husband, or a comfortable home.

The secret to receiving these blessings is revealed by Paul in the book of Ephesians. In Chapter 5, starting from verse 21, the passage titled “Instructions for Christian Households” in the NIV Bible provides guidance on this topic. Verse 21 is for both husband and wife.

[Ephesians 5:21 NIV] 21 Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

• What does “Submit to one another” really mean? Does it mean that a wife must always obey her husband and that he has control over her? Does it suggest that men should be in charge and act superior to women?

• Here is a simpler way to understand Ephesians 5:21 - Husbands and wives should submit to each other, keeping Christ at the centre of their lives. This means both husband and wife look to Christ as their guide. When they submit to each other, they are actually submitting to Christ, who is spiritually present in their home as the unseen head of house hold.

• When you submit to Christ, his blessing, his works will reflect in life. To receive God’s blessings, both the husband and wife must submit to Christ with deep respect and awe.

• What is reverence in Christ?

  • Reverence of Christ refers to a deep respect, honour, and awe toward Jesus Christ. It involves recognizing His divine authority, holiness, and the sacrifice He made for humanity.

  • This reverence is expressed through worship, obedience to His teachings, and living a life that reflects His love and character.

  • To revere Christ means to place Him at the centre of your life, acknowledging Him as Lord and Savior, and responding to His presence with humility, devotion, and a sincere desire to follow His will.

Paul continues his instructions in Ephesians 5:22 with guidance specifically for wives:

[Ephesians 5:22 NIV] 22 Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord.

• This is a continuation of earlier verse (Ephesians 5:21), in a detailed form to say, submit to husband as you submit to the Lord whom you submit out of reverence. as you submit to God

• In the Garden of Eden, when Eve sinned, part of the curse was that her husband would rule over her. This the root from which the wife submitting to her husband began. [Genesis 3:16 NIV] 16 To the woman he said, "I will make your pains in childbearing very severe; with painful labor you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you."

• The Bible instructs wives to fully submit to their husbands, and this message is repeated three times — in Ephesians, 1 Timothy, and 1 Peter.

  • [1 Timothy 2:11-12 NIV] 11 A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. 12 I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet.

  • [1 Peter 3:1-2 NIV] 1 Wives, in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, 2 when they see the purity and reverence of your lives.There is partial submission - Submit fully, no matter how good bad the husband should be.

• Submitting to a husband who follows Christ is a great blessing for a wife. This is because the husband also submits to the true head of the household — Christ, who is unseen.

• Even if your husband does not believe in God’s word, you are still called to submit to him. But why should you do that? Submitting to him can help earn his trust and attention, allowing him to see Christ’s qualities through your actions. This can lead him to respect you and, eventually, to find faith in Christ. By submitting, you become a living example of Christ’s love, showing him the truth through your behaviour. As the Bible says, [1 Peter 3:1-2 NIV] “they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives.”

Paul continues his instructions in Ephesians 5:22-24 on why this submission and obedience is important.

[Ephesians 5:23-24 NIV] 23 For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.

• Why should a wife submit to her husband? - It is because the husband is the head of the household, just as Christ is the head of the church.

• Christ is the head of the church: “Christ is the head of the church, His body, of which He is the Savior.”

• The importance of reverence for Christ: Just as the church submits to Christ, wives should also submit to their husbands in everything.

Sarah – Spiritual mother / Mother of nations / Super Woman

What does submission really mean?

To understand this, let’s look at an example from the Old Testament — Sarah. Sarah is honoured in the Bible as Abraham’s wife and Isaac’s mother, playing an essential role in God’s promise to build a great nation through Abraham’s descendants. She is also seen as a spiritual mother to believers. God blessed Sarah like this - [Genesis 17:15-16 NIV] 15 God also said to Abraham, "As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah. 16 I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her."

The Impact of Obedience ~ Holy Women

[1 Peter 3:5-6 NIV] 5 For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to adorn themselves. They submitted themselves to their own husbands, 6 like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her lord. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear.

• Submitting to your husband makes you a holy woman. By doing this, you can receive the blessings promised to holy women like Sarah.

• Sarah is called a holy woman because she obeyed Abraham. [1 Peter 3:6] 6 like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her lord.

Let’s look at Sarah’s obedience history,

1st - Going to Canaan / Negev - She obeyed and went with Abraham to Canaan, and from there, she was asked to go to Negev [Genesis 12:9 NIV]

[Genesis 11:29-31 NIV] 29 Abram and Nahor both married. The name of Abram's wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor's wife was Milkah; she was the daughter of Haran, the father of both Milkah and Iskah. 30 Now Sarai was childless because she was not able to conceive. 31 Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and together they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. But when they came to Harran, they settled there.

2nd - Journey to Egypt (When She Was Young)

After a severe famine in Negev, they had to go to Egypt. However, there was a challenge — Abraham asked Sarah to pretend to be his sister to protect his life. Despite how difficult and unfair this was, Sarah obeyed. Think about it, would any beautiful woman agree to this in today’s world? Possibly not, but Sarah obeyed what her husband asked her to do.

[Genesis 12:11-13 NIV] 11 As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, "I know what a beautiful woman you are. 12 When the Egyptians see you, they will say, 'This is his wife.' Then they will kill me but will let you live. 13 Say you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake and my life will be spared because of you."

What did Sarah’s obedience lead to?

• Her obedience gained favour from Pharaoh’s officials, and they treated Abraham well because of her.

• God protected Sarah by sending serious diseases on Pharaoh and his household, preventing anyone from harming her. [Genesis 12:17 NIV] 17 But the LORD inflicted serious diseases on Pharaoh and his household because of Abram's wife Sarai.

3rd - Journey to Negev (In Old Age):

Once again, the Lord instructed them to return to Negev. There, they encountered Abimelek, the king of Gerar. Abraham asked Sarah to do the same thing she did in Egypt — to say she was his sister. The only difference was that she was older now.

[Genesis 20:1-2 NIV] 1 Now Abraham moved on from there into the region of the Negev and lived between Kadesh and Shur. For a while he stayed in Gerar, 2 and there Abraham said of his wife Sarah, "She is my sister." Then Abimelek king of Gerar sent for Sarah and took her.

What did Sarah’s obedience lead to?

• God stepped in and fought the battle to protect her - [Genesis 20:3-4 NIV] 3 But God came to Abimelek in a dream one night and said to him, "You are as good as dead because of the woman you have taken; she is a married woman." 4 Now Abimelek had not gone near her, so he said, "Lord, will you destroy an innocent nation?

• When Abimelek approached her with the intention of taking her, God warned him that He would destroy the innocent nation because of her. This shows how much God valued her obedience and the reverence that Sarah and Abraham showed to God, they practiced what Paul had later written in [Ephesians 5:21 NIV]

• Interesting words from Abimelek to God - ." 4 Now Abimelek had not gone near her, so he said, "Lord, will you destroy an innocent

Summary

• Our God is the same God of Abraham and Sarah. If He protected Sarah in her struggles, He can protect us too, no matter what situation we face. The key to receiving God’s blessings is obedience to Scripture with reverence for the Lord.

• Obedience is not a one-time thing. From Sarah’s example, we see that she obeyed whether she liked it or not because she understood that Abraham and she were called to be one body. Just as a hand does not resist what the brain commands, Sarah submitted to Abraham even in difficult situations. Situations that made her extremely uncomfortable (it’s not expressed but we can understand that, if we put ourselves in her shoes)

• If you find it hard to obey, you can pray a simple prayer, admitting your weakness:

  “God, help me in my situation to be obedient. I surrender my situation to You. I will follow Your call. Please fight my battles and change my situation.” God will change the situation and make things better for you and you will start seeing a blessing in your family.