When God gave Abraham the promise that in his seed, all the families of the earth would be blessed, he was 75 years old, and Sarah was 65 and had been barren all her life. Over the next 24 years, God reiterated his promise to Abraham again and again. During those 24 years, Abraham tried to make the promise of God work through the energy of his flesh, and finally, God spoke to Abraham and Sarah one more time when Abraham was 99 years old, as recorded in Genesis 17 and 18. When Abraham heard God make clear that the promise would be fulfilled and that the child would come from Sarah’s body in chapter 17, Abraham fell down on the ground and laughed before God. This is a perfect conclusion to 24 years of unbelief, manipulation, and flesh effort to do for God, what only God could do. In the encounter with Jehovah in chapter 18, when told that a year from the encounter with the Lord by the Oaks of Mamre, she would have a son, Sarah, also laughed. I love the fact that God named their son Isaac because Isaac means “He (meaning God) laughs.” God always gets the last laugh. I believe this does give some insight into the personality and nature of God. Most people that I’ve ever heard teach about this laughter of God have always taught it as some kind of divine sarcasm because God was disgusted with their unbelief. Is it possible, that instead of this being sarcasm it could have simply been God gently laughing at his son and daughter because they just keep NOT GETTING IT that none of the external complications with Sarah and Abraham getting pregnant mattered because God had all along intended to do something supernatural that would overshadow their limitations in the natural? Why do we always assume that God gets angry with our struggles? The Psalm says that God knows that we are, but dust and I don’t think impatience is part of his nature directed at people who love him and are trying to get it right, but you just don’t get it. I think instead of anger; God patiently worked with them for 24 years. In chapter 18, when God asked, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I indeed bear a child, but I am too old,” God then said, “Is anything too wonderful or difficult for the Lord? At the appointed time, I will return to you at this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.”
According to Romans 4 and Hebrews 11:11, this was the point that Abraham and Sarah believed after 24 years of unbelief. When they heard God say, “Is anything too difficult or wonderful for me to do,” they finally got it, and realized that it wasn’t about what they were able or not able to produce. It has always been about what God was able to do and produce, and so at 99 years old Abraham believed and did not waver in unbelief until the child Isaac was born. Sarah was 90 years old, and she to got her eyes off of herself; “By faith, even Sarah herself received ability to conceive, even beyond the proper time of life, since she considered Him faithful who had promised.” (Hebrews 11:11)
The interesting thing to me is that in Romans 4 and the whole story of all those who were part of the Hall of Fame of faith in Hebrews 11, not once does God mention that for 24 years, Abraham and Sarah blew it. He just writes about how proud he was of them, and how pleased Hee was with them about the fact that they believed. As a matter of fact, in Romans 4, Abraham is referred to as the Father of all who believe, and in Galatians 3, he is simply referred to as “Abraham, the believer.”
Jesus took Abraham’s sin to the cross also, and 2 Corinthians 5 says that God is not counting their trespasses against us. So if God doesn’t count our failures, what does He count? I believe He counts when we get it right, and he patiently, chuckling at times, never stops working with us to get it right.
That should be an extreme blessing to you, because how much time have you spent beating yourself up over your failure and unbelief, thinking God is disgusted with you and that you have blown the plans God had for you. What an amazing and life liberating revelation to discover that just like with Abraham and Sarah, we have the most wonderful, understanding, and patient Father, who has a great sense of humor, and is not easily offended, and who never gives up on us. He always believes in us, and He is always calling us forth to trust Him, and to walk in the destiny that He believes we can walk in. Maybe, if He refuses the talk about all the failures in the past, then you can stop talking about them too, and start believing in the promises He has made about your life, that He’s prepared to accomplish on your behalf, because is anything to wonderful for God.