Laughing With God

Laughing With God
-Having a Joyful Perspective-
Gen 21.1-7
DBC 10.15.06

Today we are in our second sermon of the Journey of Faith series. Last week started with Abraham as an example of faith as a journey.

We observed that a journey is a movement from one place to another; it has the connotation of adventure added to it. A journey implies that a transformation is underway. Many believers confuse faith as a static possession rather than understanding it as a dynamic and transformational journey.

Faith involves the dynamic movement of God in our lives and of our lives toward God. We could say it this way: God is dynamically working in our lives to transform us into the likeness of Christ and we are moving closer and closer to knowing God more fully.

Specifically, last week, we looked at Abraham’s faith and how that a faith journey is a conversational experience between God and the believer. Faith is a matter of talking with God and not just talking at God.

Today, we observe another part of Abraham’s story that will teach us how to laugh with God and the importance of having a joyful perspective and attitude in our journey of faith with God.

Abraham was 75 when God called him and told him what he intended on doing in Abraham’s life. The occasion of the scripture text today was 25 years later (God wasn’t in a big rush!).

1 And the LORD visited Sarah as He had said, and the LORD did for Sarah as He had spoken. 2 For Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him. 3 And Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him—whom Sarah bore to him—Isaac. 4 Then Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him. 5 Now Abraham was one hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. 6 And Sarah said, “God has made me laugh, and all who hear will laugh with me.” 7 She also said, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? For I have borne him a son in his old age [90 yrs old *Gen 17.17].” (Gen 21.1-8)

Prior to this miraculous occasion, Sarah and Abraham laughed at God concerning the seemingly impossible promise that God had made (17.17 and 18.1-15). Look back at before Sarah actually gave birth to Isaac and see how she reacted to the prospect of having a child at her advanced age:

9 Then they [three messengers of God] said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” So he said, “Here, in the tent.” 10 And He said, “I will certainly return to you according to the time of life, and behold, Sarah your wife shall have a son.” (Sarah was listening in the tent door which was behind him.) 11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old, well advanced in age; and Sarah had passed the age of childbearing. 12 Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, “After I have grown old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?” 13 And the LORD said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I surely bear a child, since I am old?’ 14 Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.” 15 But Sarah denied it, saying, “I did not laugh,” for she was afraid. And He said, “No, but you did laugh!” (Gen 18.9-15)

But now Sarah is laughing with God instead of at God. Sarah is of great interest to me; to be quite honest, I don’t really like her and maybe that’s because I can regrettably relate to some of her bad attitudes and resentful actions.

Sarah had a hard time of letting go of things that were out of her ability to control and she wanted to take things into her own hands instead of having faith in what God had promised he would bring to pass in her life.

Children were so important in ancient biblical times because they were promise of the family lineage continuing and they were of a great practical help and security for aging parents (and children are still so in many regions of the world for the same reasons as they were in the biblical era).

The promise of a child to Sarah and Abraham not only meant that God was fulfilling his great promise to Abraham (to make him the father of many nations), but it was also a blessing of personal completion and maternal fulfillment to Sarah.

Even though Sarah had God’s promise (an offspring) early on, she still took matters into her own hands by giving Abraham her Egyptian maidservant Hagar.

So many believers today struggle with a Sarah behavioral complex; that is, many believers today want to take life into our hands and obsess over things that are out of our control and belong in the hands of God alone. We are tempted to feel that we just can’t let go of some things. Or we feel like some things will not happen unless we alone make them happen.

I had a meeting with St. Anonymous this week and said saint left me with an important thought and illustrative story.

*St. Anonymous asked me: What happens when joy is squeezed out of faith? Legalism is the result of joy being squeezed out of faith. In part, legalism is the behavioral complex that involves the idea that a person alone can control and deal with all that life throws one’s way. Legalism, in part, is the practice of taking and thinking that life can be lived independently from God and others.

There were two monks on a journey. They were in the process of a vow of silence to be observed during the daytime. Early one morning as they were starting out on their journey, in silence, they came across a beautiful young woman dressed in a silk gown. She was stuck on one side of a river and needed to cross it.

So one of the silent monks gestured toward the young woman and carried her over and through the waist deep river to the other side. She was grateful and went about her way.
The two monks continued their journey throughout the remainder of the day. When the sun had set, one of the monks broke silence and in disgust turned to the other monk and proceeded to lecture him on the scandalous action of helping the young maiden.

The other monk spoke back and said, “I set the young girl down this morning and you’ve been carrying her all day!”

Some people are like that, they can’t let go of things and they can’t stop obsessing about life and its circumstances; such is the Sarah behavioral complex.

How about you, Do you have and joyful perspective and attitude in your life and faith this morning?

Are there things that you refuse to let go of?

I’m always inspired and amazed when I meet and see people in dire moments in life who have joy and peace despite such uncontrollable prospects and circumstances. I’ve met people like that throughout my ministry and just this past week in hospitals facing difficult and critical surgeries.

It’s the occasional and graceful smile on the child’s face (suffering from cancer) I see sometimes in the St. Jude’s commercials. It’s not that they are happy about the circumstances, but it’s that they have a peace and joy that the cancer can’t touch.

It was the smile and warmness that I received from several of the Katrina survivors that I met at North East Baptist Hospital and Kelly USA AFB last year. It’s not that they were happy about the circumstances, but it’s that they were joyful about God presence with them through and past the hurricane storm.

*I think, and I pray, that part of having joy with God (laughing with God) and being at peace in the midst of uncontrollable chaos is realizing the fact that all things will pass.

David the great Hebrew king and Psalmist wrote under duress that, “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.” (Psalm 30.5)

Centuries ago, there was a Persian king that kindly and gracefully ruled his kingdom. His son was to succeed him to the throne and the king greatly desired to leave his son a bit of wisdom that would help guide and inspire his son. He ordered his wise men to search the world over and find the greatest of all wisdom and to inscribe it on a gold ring for his boy to wear when he became king. This is what they found and inscribed on the ring: “Even this shall pass away.” That is, that all bad things will come and go and even also all good things will come and go. (Paul Powell, Joy Comes in the Morning, 10.)

*There is a great joy and release when we realize that our faith and life are in God’s care.

There is great laughter with God and peace of mind when let go of that, which is not meant for us to handle alone.

There was no way, outside of God, that Abraham would become a great father to many nations. And there was no way that Sarah could accomplish in her own strength and wits that which God alone was able to do.

So how do we let go of burdens and things out of our control?

*Having joy in our faith and laughing with God is a matter of the focus and direction of our attitude and how and what we think upon.

Jesus talked about being blessed:

3 “ Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled. 7 Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. 10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed means happy; the English word for “happy” comes from the Old English word “Happenstance.” The Believer’s God-given joy (laughter), however, is not based on physical circumstance but on an inner joy. (Bob Utley, Matthew 5 Commentary)


*The journey of faith includes joy. We also know that (at the same time as having joy in our faith and life) there is a balance. There is a time to weep and a time to rejoice, there is a time to mourn and there is a time to dance and wisdom is knowing which is the proper time for each (Eccl 3.4).

Is there joy in your faith today?

What do you need to release and give to God?

What are you obsessing about?

What are facing that is out of your control?

How can you let go and trust God with your life today?

I talk often about being broken by what grieves God; I must say today that God also wants us to find and live out hope, faith, and love against all of the sadness and darkness that threatens to envelope the world.

*Such joyful hope, faith, and love is light that is able to rescue and inspire those in darkness.