Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed ...

Genesis 17:17

We older folks can always use a good laugh, and Abraham was no exception. When told by God that his ninety-year-old wife, Sarah, will become pregnant with a son, he falls on his face in laughter. “That’s’ a good one, Yahweh,” you can hear him gasp between the chuckles.

Then, old wife Sarah will laugh when she hears an angelic messenger tell her husband of the impending miraculous birth. The Lord’s messenger responds by asking, “Is anything too hard for the Lord?”

The birth of Isaac (whose name means “laughing boy”) and later the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus answered that question. When we faithlessly, laughingly, dismiss God’s wondrous claims on our life, we might ask, “Is anything too hard for God?” Our God always gets the last laugh.

Donald Hinchey,
Loveland, CO

Fill me, Lord God, that I might laugh faith-fully with you. Amen.

Reflect: When has God’s acting in your life surprised you with joy?

Read: Psalm 126 and Philippians 4:4-7