Are You Laughing Too?

Genesis 18:9-15

Message No. 0656 | Twitter @GodandUs | www.wisdom-speaks.ca

In Proverbs chapter 13 verse 12, the Bible says:

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when the desire comes, it is a tree of life.

As we would all remember, human beings are created in the image of God. However, we may have inherited many characteristics from God, but we often are not ‘gifted’ enough to act in ways that God would act when faced with similar circumstances. One strong example is: Waiting.

The story of Abraham and his wife Sarah is iconic in the Bible. God asked Abraham to separate himself from his family and then He promised him a son; no, He actually promised Him a nation. We can read up the call of Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3. However, though Abraham did all God told him to do, it became apparent that God was not in a hurry to fulfil His principal promise to him. At 75, and with Sarah sitting at 65 and running out of any scientific chance of becoming a mother, the couple would have thought that God was going to make them a child immediately, but God had other plans.

Have you been in a situation where you had assumed what God would do and when He would do it but when it didn’t happen you got disappointed? You are not alone. This couple waited year 1, year 2, decade 1, decade 2, and nothing happened. What were they supposed to think. In the process of waiting, Sarah believed that she understood God’s plan better than her husband, so she crowned the maid as the method God had intended to use all along. It ended up being a disaster and Sarah gave up.

Enter the three men at the terebinth trees of Mamre. Abraham was sitting and resting in the heat of the day, minding his own business when he looked up and saw them. His spiritual instincts sprung him into action, and he put on his entertainment hat. In the process, the men asked him, where is Sarah your wife? Here in the tent sirs, Abraham answered. “I will certainly return to you according to the time of life, and behold, Sarah your wife shall have a son.”

Humble and quiet Abraham must have been chewing it in his mind and thinking, okay Lord, I’ve heard this before, but nothing happened in 24 years of repeated promises. Isn’t this one of those? Sarah, on the other hand, was not so quiet. She laughed inside the tent, at least spiritually loud enough that the three men heard it. In Genesis 18:13-14, the Bible says:

And the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I surely bear a child, since I am old?’ Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.”

Let me ask you: are you laughing too? Have you experienced a ‘Sarah Syndrome,’ waiting for decades for what God had promised but seeing no results? It is perhaps safe to say that the first reaction from Christians is to deny their unbelief, remember the guy in Mark 9:24? But I’ll be the first to tell you that there is no shame in admitting that you are frustrated or tired. Sometimes we just need to be vulnerable before God or where else would you rather be vulnerable?

If you have been waiting for years for that wife, for that husband, for that child, for that job, for that house, for that trip, for that raise, for that healing, for that good news, and nothing is happening, then you cannot be condemned for laughing. God did not condemn Sarah. However, I need you to please remember certain things about God: (1) God is never late (2 Peter 3:8), (2) God is not a liar (Numbers 23:19), (3) God is not weak (Jeremiah 32:27), (4) God will never forget you (Isaiah 49:15, Hebrews 6:10).

If God has promised a thing, there’s only one outcome: He will do it. You may be laughing, and I cannot tell you not to laugh, but there’s one thing your laughter or unbelief cannot stop – God. He put aside Sarah’s unbelief and did what He promised. He will do this again while you’re still alive and strong to see and enjoy the results. Your desire is coming, and it will be a tree of life for you (Proverbs 13:12b). Enjoy the week ahead!

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 PLEASE ACT NOW:
 If you are yet to give your life to Christ, you do not have a covenant with God and His promises do not apply to you. To come under these promises, please surrender your life to Christ today, by praying this prayer:
 Lord I know that I am a sinner and I am unable to save myself. I am sorry for my sins and I pray that you please forgive me. I am aware that Your Son Jesus died for my sins and I accept Him as my Lord and savior. I surrender my life unto you from this moment. Please take control of my entire being and help me to be obedient to your Word, going forward. Thank you, Lord, for hearing me. I have prayed in Jesus’ name. Amen.
 If you prayed the foregoing prayer, you have just been born again. Please find a Bible believing church in your area and ask to see the pastor. Let him or her know that you have just given your life to Christ and s/he will guide you on next steps in your journey as a child of God. The Lord bless you!