As Forrest Gump would say, “I am not a smart man.” However, even I know that there are a few things that are genuine impossibilities.
Dogs can’t fly, fish can’t walk, and the Rangers won’t ever win a world series (oh wait).
Along with that, I know that the generally accepted age for women to stop giving childbirth usually stops somewhere in the early 40’s.
That doesn’t mean women can’t have women older than that — modern medicine is doing wonders these days — but as a general principle, that’s usually the age it stops.
Unless you’re Sarah, of course.
Sarah Laughed at God’s Promise
When God tells Abraham that she’ll bear a child at nearly 90 years ago, she did what any reasonable person would’ve done: She laughed.
God calls her out on this, but God reiterates that promise. It will happen, and it will happen soon. In less than a year, to be exact.
You know the end of this story. She does end up getting pregnant, and by the next year, Isaac is born.
All of which creates a fantastic mental image — that of a 90 year old pregnant lady walking around.
Despite the fact that it would’ve been an intriguing thing to witness, imagine the day-in, day-out faith-building scene that a 90 year old pregnant lady would’ve created. Instead of having a cerebral understanding of faith and hope in God’s promises, you have tangible evidence of God’s grace walking around next to you.
Abraham had seen some amazing things in his life, but few would compare to seeing his 90 year old wife sitting at the breakfast table, drinking coffee next to him…pregnant.
Who’s Laughing Now?
Faith is a tricky thing. As Hebrews 11:6 tells us, faith is not only the belief that God is, but also that He’s a “rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”
What that means is that you can’t just have a mental understanding of God, but a deep-seated faith in Him that is reward-based. That trust in your eventual reward drives your actions.
But it’s hard to have faith in something you’ve never seen before — and I, for one, have never seen a 90 year old pregnant lady before. I probably would’ve laughed at God’s promise too.
God wasn’t laughing though. When He makes a promise — to us or to anyone — He keeps it. Regardless of what you or I think.
Be careful you don’t find yourself laughing at the promises God has made to those who are His. What starts out as simple cynicism can very quickly turn into disbelief.
