Laughable
- Jun 11
- 3 min read
10 Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him. 11 Abraham and Sarah were already very old, and Sarah was past the age of childbearing. 12 So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, “After I am worn out and my lord is old, will I now have this pleasure?” 13 Then the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really have a child, now that I am old?’ 14 Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return to you at the appointed time next year, and Sarah will have a son.”
(Genesis 18:10-14)
Approximately 24 years after God first promised to make a great nation from Abram (by this point renamed Abraham), Abraham was visited by 3 divine guests who, not only reiterated the promise but, specifically stated that within a year Sarah would bear a son. At this point Abraham was 99 years old! It's no wonder that Sarah laughed as she stood in the doorway listening to the exchange. Interestingly, less than a year prior - after the birth of Ishmael had caused the couple to think that God had already fulfilled the promise through Hagar - God had clarified this promise with Abraham alone, and Abraham fell on his face laughing (Genesis 17:17). Although the messengers called out Sarah's laughter as disbelief, neither her laughter nor Abraham's negated God's promise. When Isaac (which means "he laughs") was born, Sarah exclaimed that everyone who heard her story
would laugh with her.
It's good to know that when God's promises seem laughable, God doesn't hold our human struggle to believe against us. We can always be honest with ourselves and God. We must acknowledge, though, that for some this story is not a laughing matter. Many couples have experienced Abraham and Sarah's story as, initially, a source of hope, and then as a seeming source of betrayal when they didn't receive the desire of their hearts. It's important to note that the desire of Abraham and Sarah's hearts was in alignment with God's will and God's promise to them. It can be difficult to accept that our desires may not align with God's will. God wants what's best for us, and while we don't always know what that is, God does. If we yield and surrender ourselves to God - allowing God to mold our hearts according to God's will - we will know true joy and peace. It may be that the most laughable thing God does in our lives is change the desire of our hearts in ways we could never have anticipated or imagined. May we fall on our faces in unashamed laughter at the amazing things God is doing in and through our lives.
1 Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth. 2 Serve the LORD with gladness; come into his presence with singing. 3 Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people and the sheep of his pasture. 4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise. Give thanks to him; bless his name. 5 For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever and his
faithfulness to all generations.
(Psalm 100)
Enjoy this original song by yours truly.
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