Friday, March 2, 2012

Morning Musing Over Coffee - From Doubtful Laughter to Joyful Laughter


 
 
15 Then God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. 16 And I will bless her and also give you a son by her; then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples shall be from her.”
17 Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, “Shall a child be born to a man who is one hundred years old? And shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?” ~ Genesis 17:15-17


10 And He said, “I will certainly return to you according to the time of life, and behold, Sarah your wife shall have a son.”
(Sarah was listening in the tent door which was behind him.) 11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old, well advanced in age; and Sarah had passed the age of childbearing.[12 Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, “After I have grown old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?” ~ Genesis 18:10-12

And the Lord visited Sarah as He had said, and the Lord did for Sarah as He had spoken. 2 For Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him. 3 And Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him—whom Sarah bore to him—Isaac. 4 Then Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him. 5 Now Abraham was one hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. 6 And Sarah said, “God has made me laugh, and all who hear will laugh with me.” 7 She also said, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? For I have borne him a son in his old age.” ~ Genesis 21:1-7


God promised.


Abraham laughed.


God promised.


Sarah laughed.


And really, who can blame them. This thing that God promised, it was impossible! It demanded that the laws of the natural world, as known then, as known even today, be made null, that life would spring forth where there was no longer any hope of life.


But God had promised.


And God's promises go much further than the laws of the natural world. The natural world was created to give a framework for the limited human mind.


God is not limited.


The promise was fulfilled.


Life sprang from that which gave no hope of life.


Dreams were made reality.


And Sarah laughed.


But this time the laughter was from the joy and amazement that is always present when God works. Joy in the gift. Amazement because the human mind cannot comprehend the infinite and limitless power and love of a God who works outside the framework of the natural laws we know.


And the God of Abraham, the God of Sarah, He is the same God today.


We pray, we dream, we know His promises.


And far too often we laugh at ourselves and even others. Maybe (dare we say it?) we laugh at God.


Because like Abraham and Sarah, we too are human. It's so easy to get sidetracked by the laws of the natural world.


But the same God who transcended time and natural law then moves in the same way today. Because He loves us, because He has a plan that includes us and yet is further reaching than any of us can comprehend, He moves. And when our laughter born of joy and amazement fill His ears I believe He laughs with us.


 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. ~ Jeremiah 29:11

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