“Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged Him faithful Who had promised. Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude and as the sand which is by the seashore innumerable.”
Hebrews 11:11-12
Never underestimate the power of God to do the “unexpected” or “impossible” in your own life.
No wonder she laughed that day (Gen. 18:12). We would have, too. Here she was—89-years-old—and three visitors out of nowhere are telling you you’re going to get pregnant and give birth to a son in a little over nine months.
“No way,” she thought as she “laughed (Heb. ‘tsachaq’—‘to laugh outright in merriment or scorn, to mock, make sport of, etc.’) within herself” (Gen. 18:12a).
“Everyone knows an old woman like me is past childbearing age. And, besides, Abraham’s 10 years older than me and well past his prime when it comes to sexual things” (v.12b).
Sounded reasonable, didn’t it?
But, never forget that the Lord God is not bound by our mental or physical limitations; truly, He is the “God of the impossible” (Lk. 1:37), Who seemingly delights in stretching us and upsetting our apple carts of conventional wisdom.
When the Lord asked Abraham why Sarah laughed, He also asked him “Is anything too hard for Me?” (v.14a). How we should continually grapple with that question, dear Pilgrim—for our answer reveals much about our faith and trust in the One by Whose Name we are called.
Truly, in answering that question, we should say without hesitation or reservation, “No! Nothing’s too hard for the Lord!” And, like Mary, after being told what the Lord was fixing to do in her life, we should say in quiet surrender, “Be it unto me according to Your Word, O Lord” (Lk. 1:38).
We should also note that Abraham also “fell upon his face and laughed” when God fleshed out His Promise to him at the age of 99-years-old (Gen. 17:17). Truly, neither he or Sarah possessed “perfect” faith; but, they did possess trusting and obedient faith.
That’s why they “judged Him faithful Who had promised” and engaged in sexual relations after the angels left. Truly, they were “co-laborers together with God” (I Cor. 3:9) and found their pleasure in Him, not each other.
And, when Sarah—who’d initially denied that she’d laughed (Gen. 18:15)—started feeling tiny Isaac kicking about in her womb, she probably laughed out loud once again; but, this time it was in delight, not disbelief. It’s no accident that Isaac’s name means “laughter,” for he’d always be a reminder to them of a God Who delighted in them and could cause “them, who were good as dead” (physically) to be used by Him in ways they never could have imagined. And, He can do the same in our lives, Pilgrim. Just trust Him.
By Tom Smith Morning Manna Dated March 26, 2011
