Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged Him faithful Who had promised. Hebrews 11:11
A relative had given one of the neighbourhood children had given her a large balloon in the shape of the head of a cat, and the girl brought the balloon to school. It was a fascinating thing, and the rest of us children gathered around in the schoolyard to look at it. I had a small stick in my hand, and, without meaning any harm, I reached out toward the balloon with it. But the stick must have had a sharp point on it, because the instant it touched the balloon, the balloon burst. I was so shocked and embarrassed that I ran off behind the schoolhouse to hide. Later, as I tried to apologize to the girl, I assured her that I would buy her another one just like it. She just threw back her head and laughed at me. She knew that I would never find another balloon like that one, and that my promise was a hollow one, much as I would have loved to have kept it. Our text today is about a woman who also laughed at a promise, but her laugh was one of joy because she knew that the promise would be kept.
The text references the account in Genesis 18, during the events of the visit of the Lord to Abraham in Mamre, before the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. God had previously given Abraham the promise of a son in Genesis 17. Now, He repeats the promise within Sarah’s hearing. At first, Sarah appears to be in disbelief, but she did accept the promise, based on her confidence in the One Who made it. In Genesis 21:, after Isaac was born, Sarah declared, ‘God hath made me to laugh, so that all that hear will laugh with me’. Hers was a special kind of faith, a faith that rejoices in God’s promises. It would do us good today to consider God’s promises to us with such delight.
Do we believe God’s promise that He will be with us daily to provide for our needs? Let us rejoice in that. Do we believe God’s promise that He will never allow us to be tempted or tested beyond our ability to bear? That’s worth rejoicing over, too. Do we believe that the Lord’s coming is certain and that it is very near? That is worth a Hallelujah or two. So is the promise that God will richly reward every deed of service that is done for him. The promise of a mansion in glory, of an eternal home free of all want and sorrow and pain, must fill our hearts with joy and eager anticipation. And there are so many more proposes from the Lord that just considering them every day ought to fill our hearts with delight.
We get so disillusioned with the empty promises of the world that we fail to appreciate the promises of God as we should. Like Sarah, let us consider the One Who has made the promises, and rejoice that He will deliver. -Jim MacIntosh