How do you feel when you learn someone has been laughing behind your back? It cuts deep. Ridicule is not easy to accept when it is done face-to-face. If the person does it in hiding we are not only hurt, but often angry as well.
Sarah remained barren both in her womb and spirit. The Lord communed with His friend Abraham. “Abraham, your wife’s name will now be Sarah instead of Sarai. I will bless her, and you will have a son by her (Genesis 17:15a CEV).” Face down in prayer Abraham mulled over the idea. He aged nearly 100 and Sarah trailed only ten years behind. He came to the conclusion that it could not happen. “So he started laughing (Verse 17b CEV).”
On a return trip God again promised Abraham an heir through his wife Sarah. The message became definite. “One of the guests was the Lord, and he said, I’ll come back about this time next year, and when I do, Sarah will already have a son (Genesis 18:10 CEV).” Sarah overheard the conversation and quickly reached the same opinion as her husband. “So she laughed and said to herself, Now that I am worm out and my husband is old, will I really know such happiness (Verse 12 CEV).”
Did she get the last laugh? “The Lord asked Abraham, Why did Sarah laugh? Does she doubt that she can have a child in her old age (Verse 13 CEV)?” She tried to deny it but God stood firm. (Verse 15) It is impossible to hide our feelings of unbelief from the Lord. Laughter should be a result of joy and pleasure not a lack of faith.
Read more articles by Pam Ford Davis or search for articles on the same topic or others.
