Bible in a Year - Women’s Thematic Reading Plan | Day 96

Day 96 of the Women’s Bible Plan: Read Genesis 17:15-22 and reflect on how God personally renamed Sarai as Sarah and clearly declared that she would become the mother of the promised son. Through this passage, we see that God’s covenant was not only given to Abraham, but also included the wife within the household. This devotional helps women consider identity, marriage, waiting, and the faithfulness of God’s promises.

🌸  Dear Sister, welcome to Day 96 of our reading journey. 

In marriage and family life, a wife can sometimes feel as though she is only the follower or the companion. The husband receives the calling, carries the responsibility, stands in front, and the wife simply walks along beside him. In important decisions, spiritual direction, family mission, and future plans, a woman may quietly wonder: Does God also see me? Does His promise for this household also have something to do with me?

Genesis Chapter 17 gives us a tender and important answer. When God establishes His covenant with Abraham, He does not speak only about Abraham. He specifically speaks about Sarah. God not only changes Abram’s name to Abraham, but also changes Sarai’s name to Sarah. He clearly declares that Sarah will be blessed and will become a mother of nations. The promised son will not come around her or apart from her; he will come through her.

This reminds us that in God’s eyes, the wife is not the forgotten half of the marriage, nor an accessory outside of His plan. God’s covenant also includes the wife in the household. He sees her name, identity, body, waiting, tears, and future.

A Minute of Grace

Genesis 17:15-22 records the moment when God personally speaks about Sarah within His covenant promise. God says to Abraham, “As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be.” Then God says that He will bless her and give Abraham a son also of her. She shall be a mother of nations, and kings of people shall be of her.

This passage is very important because God’s promise is no longer spoken only in a general way about Abraham’s descendants. It is clearly spoken over Sarah. Sarah is not passed over. She is not merely the woman standing beside Abraham. She is not excluded from the promise because she is old or because she has been barren for many years. God personally names her, renews her identity, and confirms her place in the covenant.

When Abraham hears this, he falls upon his face and laughs, saying in his heart, “Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear?” From a human point of view, this promise seems impossible. Age, body, time, and experience all seem to say, “No.” Abraham even mentions Ishmael, as if the arrangement already in place might be enough.

But God says, “Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac.” God does not allow His promise to remain within the limits of what humans consider possible. Nor does He allow a human substitute to replace His original plan. He makes it clear that the promised son will come through Sarah.

Today’s theme, “God Renews His Promise to Sarah,” invites us to reflect: In marriage and family, does God also value the wife’s identity, participation, and blessing? The answer is yes. God does not only call the husband, make covenant with the husband, or see the husband’s spiritual journey. He also sees the wife and gives her a name, honor, place, and promise in His plan.

This is a deep comfort for women today. Perhaps you have felt that you are only “the one who supports,” only “the one who cares for the family,” or only “the one standing behind others.” Perhaps you have experienced disappointment in marriage, pressure in the household, or waiting that makes you wonder whether God still sees you. Sarah’s story reminds us that God’s covenant also includes the wife in the household. He can personally renew your identity and fulfill His promise even in places that seem delayed or impossible.

Whispers for the Heart

1 God personally changed Sarai’s name to Sarah and clearly declared that He would bless her. Have you ever felt like an “extra” in marriage, family, or ministry, as though God’s promise was mainly for someone else and not for you? How does this passage help you see your identity and place before God again?

2 When Abraham heard that Sarah would bear a son, it seemed unbelievable because Sarah was already old. Are there places in your life that feel too late, too difficult, or too impossible? Are you willing to let God’s Word become greater than your experience, age, limitations, and past disappointments?

3 God said, “Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed.” This shows that God did not allow a human substitute to replace His promise. Have you ever tried to fill a painful gap with your own plan because the waiting felt too long? Is God inviting you today to trust His original purpose again instead of clinging only to what you can control?

As you read Genesis 17:15-22 today, do not notice only Abraham’s journey of faith. Also pay attention to how God personally names Sarah, blesses Sarah, renews Sarah, and places the wife within the promise of the covenant.

Take a quiet breath before you begin. Bring your feelings about marriage, family, identity, waiting, and impossibility before the Lord, and let His Word meet you there.

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🪕 Response Hymn: 

Genesis 17:15-22 (KJV)

15 And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be.

16 And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her.

17 Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear?

18 And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee!

19 And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.

20 And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation.

21 But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year.

22 And he left off talking with him, and God went up from Abraham.

🪕 Response Hymn: 

💡 Closing Thought · God Calls the Wife by Name Too

After reading Genesis 17:15-22, we see that God did not only speak to Abraham. He also named Sarah. He renewed her name, blessed her, and clearly declared that the promised son would come through her. This shows us that in God’s covenant, the wife is not forgotten and is not merely attached to someone else’s promise. God personally sees her and places her in His plan.

As we close this page and return to our own homes and relationships, perhaps you are learning companionship in marriage, quietly carrying responsibilities in the family, feeling weary in waiting, or losing hope in something that seems impossible. Remember this: God knows your name and sees your situation. His grace does not only come to others; it also comes to you. His covenant does not only concern one person in the household; it also concerns you.

May today’s Scripture remind you not to see yourself as the forgotten half. May you receive your identity again in God’s promise, find hope in marriage and family, and trust that the God who renewed Sarah’s name can also renew your faith, your waiting, and your tomorrow.

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