Learning to Wait: Lessons From the Life of Abrahamনমুনা

Laughter

"Now the Lord was gracious to Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did for Sarah what he had promised… Sarah said, “God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.”" Genesis 21:1, 6 (NIV)

Before Sarah laughed with joy at the birth of Isaac (see Genesis 21:6), she laughed in disbelief over God's promise (see Genesis 18:21). Have you ever found yourself in a similar moment—a cynical, almost reflexive "Ha! I'll believe that when I see it!" to what seems like an impossible word from God?

At the beginning of season of waiting, hope tends to come easily. We can imagine the potential good that might come from the delay and truly believe that the wait will be worth it. But prolonged waiting often beats us down. Like Abraham, we naturally attempt help God along (Genesis 16:1-6; 17:17-19). Mercifully, God corrects us (as he corrected Abraham) and we do the hard work of realigning our hope back on him. Yet, after repetitions of this cycle, we may begin to doubt our capacity to keep going.

This was Sarah's struggle, and Abraham’s too. After nearly 25 years of waiting (when he was about 100), Abraham reached a point where he even asked God to transfer the promise to Ishmael (Genesis 17:18). God said no to this request, although he promised to bless Ishmael as well. At this moment, God instructed Abraham, “When the son of promise is born, call him ‘Isaac.’”

Isaac means: “He laughs.” And this name became a powerful testimony of Abraham and Sarah’s journey, capturing both the struggle of their wait and God’s faithfulness to them. After his birth, Isaac’s name would constantly remind his parents of God’s ability to transform the valleys of their deepest despair into unexpected joy.

Through the prophet Isaiah, God promised this same kind of transformation for all his people: a crown of beauty in place of ashes of grief; the oil of joy instead of mourning; and praise where before was sadness (see Isaiah 61:1-7). Centuries later, Jesus stood in his hometown synagogue and declared himself the one who accomplishes this transformation (see Luke 4:16-21). Though few would have recognized such power in the child in Bethlehem's manger, the angels knew. They announced to lowly shepherds—outcasts themselves—the birth of the one who would transform every human sorrow into lasting joy: “Good news that will cause great joy for all the people" (Luke 2:10).

When we come to Jesus just as we are, he is able to transform our cynicism, our doubt, and even our faithlessness. This is that good news of great joy that will never be taken away from us.

Practice:

This week, acknowledge two kinds of laughter in your life, just like Sarah experienced. If possible, do this exercise with a friend or family member.

• Part 1: Share something that makes you laugh with doubt - like Sarah did at first. Maybe it's a prayer that seems impossible right now, or a situation where it's hard to see God working. It’s ok to be completely honest. God can handle it.
• Part 2: Share something that makes you laugh with pure joy - something in which you caught a glimpse of God's goodness towards you, no matter how small.
• Notice how you felt while sharing each kind of laughter. Were the feelings different? How do you feel after completing both parts of this exercise?

Prayer:

Acknowledge to the Lord the areas in your life where you are can only laugh with doubt. Ask for his help to continue to hold onto his promises and, if you are able, express your trust in his ability to transform this cynical and doubting laughter into a laughter of pure joy.