Genesis 21

Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. And Sarah said, “God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh over me.” And she said, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.”

‭‭Genesis‬ ‭21‬:‭5‬-‭7‬

All Bible names carry meaning, and Isaac means "he laughs." Isaac means he laughs and his whole birth story is filled with laughter! Isaac's birth is a fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham and Sarah that they will bear children. Sarah has not always been patient waiting for God to fulfill His promise. She has had fears and acted on those fears, most notably through the servant, and now God's blessing finally falls over them and they have a child. The reaction is this sort of giddy surprise, laughter, and joy, and saying, "Who would've thought that this would happen?"

God knew that they would have Isaac, He promised it and He fulfilled His promise. What we think and the things that surprise us are no match for God's capabilities. We are often surprised by little things in comparison to what God can do! He can do things that are far beyond our understanding, such as welcoming children to older parents. Sarah's fear is what led her to have doubts and her doubts led her to grasp for control. Sarah's fear was not enough to break God's promise. While Sarah was unfaithful, God was faithful.

This is true for each and every one of us. Even when we are not faithful, God is faithful. He provides for those who believe and those who don't believe. He provides for us when we sin. His grace and compassion on us are beyond our own understanding. We can look to and learn from Sarah's life. She has fear when she can't visibly see God working. She lacks trust when the promise is not tangible. She has joy and laughter once she sees that God fulfilled His promise. Her laughter is one of surprise, will anyone believe we had a child in our old age! I am thinking about how we can have the joy before God's promises are fulfilled. My thought is that a trust beyond understanding leads to joy of promises along with the joy of fulfilled promises. We can trust beyond understanding in our prayers by putting our worries and fears into God's hands. It is by saying: God, our ability to bear children is in your hands. God, your hands provided the privilege of food on our table. God, the wisdom I have is a gift from you. Father, I trust you. Even when we cannot see God actively working, we can praise Him for His promises.