DailySusan Humor Blog

SETH THE IMPOSSIBLE, PART I

And Adam knew his wife again;
and she bare a son, and called his name Seth:
for God, said she, hath appointed me
another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew.
-- Genesis 4:25

Her husband had left her for another woman. She was alone with her three children for three years after the divorce. Then she became a born-again Christian, and started reading the Bible for the first time, cover to cover. She came to the sibling rivalry scene in Genesis. Cain kills Abel and blows town, and God sends Eve another son, Seth.
For the first time in her life, she heard a voice in her heart that she knew was the Holy Spirit of the living God. She was awed.
He said that He would give her a son and she should name him Seth because God had given him to her.
As if!
That was impossible!
She had no husband! And she already had three great kids. . . .
Soon thereafter, she went to a Christian singles retreat. In prayer before, she asked God to confirm what He had promised about Seth, show her how she could serve Him, and give her a pure heart.
Bing, bang, bong! The keynote speaker covered those three items: God’s promise to Abraham for a son in what seemed like an impossible situation of advanced old age (Genesis 18:14); God telling that son, Isaac, to serve Him and dig wells (Genesis 26), and Ezekiel 36:26-28: “I will give you a clean, new heart; you will be my people and I will be your God.”
Three for three! Whoa!
But again, a baby seemed ridiculous. There wasn’t even a man in her life.
Time passed. She kept encountering references to Abraham and Isaac in sermons, on the radio, in her Bible – God’s faithfulness, timing, and promise of a precious son in unlikely circumstances. It was uncanny.
She learned the name “Seth” means “granted” or “appointed,” and it was through Seth’s lineage that the Lord Jesus Christ was born, traceable all the way back to Isaac, Abraham, and ultimately, Adam.
But nothing changed. She slipped back into doubt. One day she was despairing. She told God that if this promise was really from Him, He should let her know immediately. Within the hour, a friend called with a Bible verse she felt compelled to share: “Surely I have behaved and quieted myself, as a child that is weaned of his mother. . . .” (Psalm 131:2)
But still, the whole thing made no sense. She was confused and depressed, as women in her situation can be. She felt broken, unwanted and unloveable – cast aside. Having another baby was the least of her concerns.
Then she went to a garage sale. She overheard two women talking about a beat-up old wagon, and what a treasure it really was.
One woman said to the other, “Some people just don’t know what they’re missing.”
Immediately, she heard God’s voice again: “That’s how I see you.”
More time passed. She went to a church service in a nearby town and the sermon was on – you guessed it – Abraham. The point was that when God promises you something, it’s huge, not mundane. She was sitting there wondering if she was going crazy, and still doubting, when a woman she had never seen before came up to her and said:
“I have a word for you from the Lord. He says, ‘I have given you ears to hear. Satan tells you that you didn’t hear Me. But he is a liar. You hear me loud and clear.’”
She went to another retreat. She was sure God was telling her she would meet her new husband there. She came across a verse, Song of Solomon 4:16, about a lover coming into a garden. Coming to meet HER?!? How romantic! How exciting!
Hmmm!
On the way to the retreat, they stopped at a gas station. She was introduced to some guys who were going there, too. Her friend thought one of them was cute; she didn’t give him a second thought. Lightning didn’t strike; no one asked her out.
She went home bummed, figuring she’d heard wrong.
Oh, yeah? †

NEXT WEEK: Conclusion, “Seth the Impossible, Part II”