Genesis 18:13 Then the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really have a child, now that I am old?’
It is easy to think that those in the Bible like Abraham and Sarah are perfect and beyond reproach. But we have seen the reality time and again that both Abraham and Sarah struggled with God’s promises, particularly God’s timeline. They doubted. (How could they not?) They laughed. (Honestly, I’d probably be crying or screaming.) And yet, they remained faithful, even as they stumbled along.
Genesis 18:14 Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return to you at the appointed time next year, and Sarah will have a son.”
There’s a lesson there. I am full of doubts. I plan my way and get all bent out of shape when it doesn’t come to pass. I pray (and pray and pray and pray) and wait and hope and fear and rail, but God keeps working on my heart. He doesn’t want perfection. He doesn’t want blind obedience. He wants me to trust Him, to draw closer to Him, to put Him first, to root myself in Him. What happens and doesn’t happen are not forms of punishment, they are His attempt to continually draw me closer because He knows that only when He is my absolute center and safety can I thrive in this world.
Genesis 18:15a Sarah was afraid, so she lied and said, “I did not laugh.”
Precious Savior, Forgive me when I doubt and rail. Thank You for loving me fiercely, for wanting nothing but my heart. Thank You that I can count on You, can trust You. Always. Help me to root myself deeply in You. Only then can I thrive. Amen.
Genesis 18:15b But he said, “Yes, you did laugh.”
Have a blessed day.