Abraham was ninety-nine years old when God told him he was about to be a father, and Abraham laughed. A few days later, while Abraham was providing food and shelter to three strangers, God told him that within the year Sarah would give birth to a son. Sarah overheard the words and laughed. In what appears an expression of God’s sense of humor, God told them to name their coming son “Isaac,” which means “laughter.”

He was too old to have children, and Sarah could not have children. It was by faith that Abraham was made able to become a father, because he trusted God to do what he had promised. This man was so old he was almost dead, but from him came as many descendants as there are stars in the sky. Like the sand on the seashore, they could not be counted. HEBREWS 11:11-12

    Finally Abraham and Sarah had a son —the promised son. But it wasn’t Abraham and Sarah’s fertility that produced Isaac; it was God’s gracious planning. In Sarah’s pregnancy, God did at least two things. He kept his promise of descendants, and he helped his chosen couple to see beyond their own vision — he helped them trust him for the impossible.

Reflection: Abraham and Sarah got to see a side of God that few people can imagine —his sense of humor. God appears to have delighted in announcing the long-awaited birth and must have laughed a little himself when he told them to name the boy “laughter.” Can’t you see God chuckling to himself, while doing the impossible in Abraham and Sarah’s lives?

    God still sees our misgivings, still senses our feelings and worries before we have words to express them, and at times still surprises us with his sense of humor.