“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.” But Sarah denied it, saying, “I did not laugh,” for she was afraid. And He said, “No, but you did laugh!”"
Genesis 18:13-15
This passage really blesses me. Notice that God didn’t come down on Sarah for laughing and doubting, just as He didn’t “bring the pain” when Abraham had laughed (Genesis 17:17). Instead of punishment for doubt and incredulous behavior God actually restates His desired blessings for the two; however, God didn’t let Sarah get away with her denial. I believe this minor ending to this part of the story holds so much truth about the heart of God for us.
So many people have this misconception that God is this grumpy guy who holds a big old stick, and if anyone messes up or drops the ball God will come down on them and a world of punishment is in store. But just the opposite is true, here in this passage we get the inside look at God’s character of mercy and grace. I once heard someone describe mercy and grace as two sides of the same coin. On one side is grace (when God gives you something that you don’t deserve), and on the flip side is mercy (when God doesn’t give you what you do deserve). This coin not only makes cents and adds value to our lives, but it makes sense and adds purpose to our lives as well. God didn’t give up on Abraham and Sarah when they laughed, He simply showed them that He knows exactly what’s going on in their hearts (whether they fess up to it or not!) and the same is true for you and I.
God hasn’t given up on you, whether we doubted His faithfulness when that bill came in the mail, perhaps you too have waited long and given up hope that you’ll see the pleasure of God’s promises come true for you. God sees what’s going on in the tents that we hide in and the feelings we’ve hidden in our hearts. Amazingly His heart doesn’t change. The word says, “He’s the same yesterday, today, and forever” and “Nothing can separate us from His love”.
Deny it all you want, the truth is that God is good and He wants to lavish His good love in your life!
