“For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful. They were submissive to their own husbands, like Sarah who obeyed Abraham ...” (1 Peter 3:5,6)
When God made a covenant with Abraham and promised he would be a blessing to all nations, Sarah was also part of this special covenant. In fact, in Genesis 17, when Abraham received a name change from Abram to Abraham (i.e. from “exalted father” to “father of many”), Sarah also had a name change from Sarai to Sarah (“princess”). She was also promised that she would be “the mother of nations; kings of peoples [would] come from her (Genesis 17:16)”.
Peter subsequently highlighted Sarah’s submissiveness to her husband and the fact that she obeyed Abraham as a worthy example of holy beauty.
Submissiveness to the will of God is a key principle in prayer. In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus taught His disciples to pray, “Thy will be done.”
On at least two occasions, Abraham made serious blunders in testifying to the status of his spouse. Yet God was sovereign to rescue them from the consequences of his foolish actions. Nonetheless, Sarah subjected herself to the authority of her husband and hence, God’s sovereign control over their lives. At age 90, she together with Abraham believed that God would bring it to pass. Miraculously she conceived Isaac at that late age.
Sarah indeed is a real model for all women. And in Galatians 4, when Paul argued the need for faith, Sarah was profiled as the woman who gave birth to the child of promise, in a divine manner. She obeyed and God’s plan was made firm.
Sarah’s submissiveness to her husband’s headship may seem insignificant―yet it was also at the same time a crucial partnership with God fulfilling His promise to make them a blessing to all nations. What a powerful outcome of the submission of a woman! How crucial it is for us to have this attitude in prayer as we approach God too.
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