MONDAY FEBRUARY 3
Is anything too hard for the Lord? Genesis 18:14
God Appoints Times for Specific Events
Laughter is an extraordinarily flexible act of
communication. It often indicates joy, happiness, or humor; but depending on
the culture, circumstances, and individual, it might also signal embarrassment,
grief, or even despair. A laugh can be crazy, sarcastic, skeptical, or
relieved. It might convey surprise, scorn, agreement, or pleasure. It all
depends. In today’s narrative, Sarah’s laughter signified doubt or
faithlessness (v. 12). It might also have been bitter, cynical, or just sad. She
had overheard one of the visiting strangers tell her husband that “about this
time next year” she would have a son (v. 10). Given that Sarah was past the age
of childbearing—or in plain language, she had already been through
menopause—and that she had been barren her whole life thus far, she laughed for
obvious reasons. Yet the stranger condemned her doubt and insisted on his
prediction (v. 14), which Abraham received as a promise from the Lord Himself.
Both he and his wife would have remembered God’s recent similar promise (Gen.
17:21). The issue was whether they would respond in faith—Abraham did, but
Sarah did not. Later, though, she would laugh in faith and joy because God kept
His promise and gave her a son (Gen. 21:6–7). This narrative teaches that God
can appoint times for specific events, such as the birth of a baby. This
doesn’t mean that God chooses to script all events in this way, but it does
mean that He is able to do so if He wills it. We don’t know the details of how
He works, but we can still affirm this truth. Abraham and Sarah were told that
Isaac would be born at a certain time, and he was (Gen. 21:2). Isaac’s birth
was completely impossible from a human perspective, but God’s plans and timing
don’t depend on human wisdom or limitations.
Taken
from the Word for You Today Devotional
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