GENESIS 18:13-15: “The LORD said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?’ 14 Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.” 15 But Sarah denied it, saying, “I did not laugh,” for she was afraid. He said, “No, but you did laugh.”
OBSERVATION: Have you ever laughed at the Lord? This may take some thinking, but I think we all have. Maybe we did not laugh directly, or intentionally, but the words spoken to Sarah are also spoken to us – “No, but you did laugh.” Why do we laugh?
Sometimes we laugh out of joy. This is the laughter of a merry heart, a heart that is overflowing at the moment with joy. It is the laughter of children playing, of adults reminiscing about wonderful times past. This laughter brings cleansing and joy. This is a gift from the Lord, and it is good.
Sometimes we laugh out of doubt. We hear the testimony of something that we do not understand, or that threatens our belief system, and we laugh. We laugh to dismiss it and to show our disdain. This laughter does not bring cleansing and joy, it creates an atmosphere of judgment and encourages a critical spirit.
Sometimes we laugh out of fear. We want to believe something is possible, but we are either afraid to believe it, or we do not feel worthy. I believe this is the laughter that Sarah was experiencing in this text. There was an element of doubt, but the greater element was fear. How could a 90 year old woman experience the joy of becoming a mother now that her days of child bearing were over? The laughter that flows from fear keeps us from the faith that believes that all things are possible to them who believe.
How did the Lord respond to Sarah’s laughter. He said – “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” Sarah tried to deny her fear, her laughter, but the Lord confronted her with the truth. We need to face our fear before we can embrace God’s Word with faith. We need to guard our hearts from developing the laughter of doubt and fear that keep us from the promises and provision of the Lord.
Heavenly Father, forgive me for the times that I have laughed at You and Your Word. Deliver me from fear and doubt so that I can enter fully into Your promise and provision for my life. Let the laughter coming from my life be only the overflow of the Joy of the Lord in my life through my Lord Jesus Christ. In Jesus Name!
