The promise of a son to Abraham and Sarah is recorded in Genesis 18:10–12:
“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.) Now Abraham and Sarah were old, well advanced in age; and Sarah had passed the age of childbearing. Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, ‘After I have grown old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?’”
Sarah laughed because the promise seemed impossible from a human perspective. She was well past the age of childbearing, and Abraham was also old. Her laughter reflected doubt and disbelief, not joy. This reaction reveals the natural struggle to trust God when circumstances appear hopeless.
However, the Lord responded with a powerful question in Genesis 18:14:
“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.”
This statement reminds us that God’s power is unlimited and His promises are certain, no matter how impossible they seem. Later, Sarah acknowledged this truth when the promise was fulfilled. Hebrews 11:11 says:
“By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised.”
Sarah’s laughter teaches us about human weakness but also about God’s faithfulness. Even when our faith wavers, His word stands firm. The birth of Isaac became a testimony that nothing is too hard for the Lord.
