“Yes, You Did Laugh.”

One story from Abraham and Sarah:

Then one of them said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son.”Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him. Abraham and Sarah were already old and well advanced in years, and Sarah was past the age of childbearing. So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, “After I am worn out and my master is old, will I now have this pleasure?”

Then the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really have a child, now that I am old?’ Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return to you at the appointed time next year and Sarah will have a son.”

Sarah was afraid, so she lied and said, “I did not laugh.”

But he said, “Yes, you did laugh.” (Genesis 18:10-15, NIV)

Sarah most likely thought she was far enough away from the conversation that no one knew she was listening and certainly no one could hear her reaction to the news that she was going to finally have a baby “After I am worn out and my master is old.” She was wrong. She was heard. And worse, she was confronted and could not hide it.

I feel for her. I sense her frustration and disappointment. I understand how she must have felt (not about having a baby) about laughing to herself. “Yeah, like that’s going to happen now. Great timing Lord!”

I also know how she must have felt being confronted by the God who says, “Is anything too hard for the Lord?”

More times than I can recall I have laid out my requests before the Lord and waited expectantly. And waited. And waited. Nothing happens. Eventually I’ve gotten to the point that Sarah may have reached, “Okay, Lord, if this is not going to happen, what are You going to do? Are You going to do anything? Are You telling me to give up on this dream? I do not understand. But, I still trust You. Although it seems crazy I will wait.”

He acts. Often at the least expected and most convenient time, He acts. I laugh to myself. He hears me laugh. I deny it. “I did not laugh.” He says, “Yes, you did laugh.”

The new ministry begins with great enthusiasm and excitement. You experience God’s empowering presence in ways you never imagined. You are seeing the results you had hoped for. You are encouraged. Something changes. Positive results begin to diminish. You and your co-workers get discouraged. You pray for a turn-around. Nothing happens. No signs of improvement. You question your wisdom, ability, leadership, and your heart. You resolved that things are never going to change. You begin looking across the fence at the greener pastures. Then, He does something amazing. You laugh to yourself, “Oh really. Now?” He hears you laugh. You deny. He says, “Yes, you did laugh.”

You had such hopes when your marriage began. You were the perfect couple. You knew it was true and everyone who knows you agreed. Now, years later the dreams have faded, the communication has stopped, and you both are too tired to try anymore. Help is available but neither of you can be convinced it is worth trying. You are almost to your breaking point and ready to either walk away or to tolerate the mediocrity of the relationship when something happens. You are unable to actually pinpoint what it is, but something says, “Don’t give up.” You laugh to yourself, but He hears you. He whispers: “I’m not finished with you.” You laugh again.

I’m not sure how God feels or how He thinks about things like this, but I get a sense that He loves to hear us laugh as He reveals His plans for us. I sense that He loves to catch us when we feel like we are about to fall and remind us that He has everything under control. I sense that He enjoys surprising us by meeting us at the crossroads of life with hope, reassurance, and a refresher course in faith and trust.

Father, I know You hear me laughing. Thanks for listening.

Tom

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