19 Then God said, “Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him.
Abraham laughed at God’s message that he, a man of a hundred years, and his wife of ninety years, would have a son. I think I would laugh as well. But laughter can be not only disbelief expressed, but also joyous faith. God makes a covenant, an everlasting covenant, with Abraham, this son who is not yet born, and the son’s descendants. That is a far reaching commitment. God’s commitment is great. Abraham’s son and descendants commitment to that covenant is an unknown quantity at this moment in time, at least from a human perspective. This son is not even conceived, let alone born yet. And yet, God makes a covenant that affects him and his children. God often has longer range plans than we do. We are often living so much for today, that we don’t even see God’s greater plan. We get a glimpse of it here. This old couple, who have struggled with infertility for years, are finally going to get a son of their own. Whether it was a laugh of disbelief or a laugh of joy, I think Abraham deserved a laugh. It would take a miracle! And of course that is exactly what God was proposing. And honest laughter does not stop the Lord from fulfilling His covenant. It is OK to be honest with how you are feeling about something He has said. If there is doubt, talk to the Lord about it. He knows about it anyway, so you might as well let Him know that you know He knows you know. Struggles with believing are normal for a believer. Everyone at times, even the giants of our faith like Abraham, struggle with God’s message. That message can be so big, so impossible looking that we have difficulty wrapping our earthly brains and hearts around it. God wants to stretch us. That is a central tenant of faith. Faith involves stretching beyond the natural, earthly resources. If God has made a covenant, then it will happen. Nothing can stand in the way of fulfillment.
The Arnold Journey 