Abraham fell facedown; he laughed and said to himself, “Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?” Genesis 17:17
     So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, “After I am worn out and my lord is old, will I now have this pleasure?” Genesis 18:12

Sometimes, our honest beliefs aren’t revealed in our words or actions but in our reactions (that spontaneous laugh, the eye-roll, the sigh). Abraham and Sarah (remember yesterday, I mentioned their names would change) had heard the promises of God before. They knew He had called them out of their homeland. They had seen God’s faithfulness in so many ways. And yet, when God promised the impossible… when God said that Sarah would bear a child in her old age, both Abraham and Sarah laughed, not from joy, but from disbelief. Yes, they were old 100 and 90, respectively, but GOD!

And an important point to their story: these weren’t bad people. These were people of faith, people in covenant with God. But in that raw moment of inward reaction, their hidden unbelief slipped through. It wasn’t a rejection of God’s power; it was a confrontation with the limitations of their own faith… their humanity.

How often do we do the same? We sing about God’s power, we pray in Jesus’ name, we go to church and serve faithfully. But when God nudges us toward something that seems impossible, like restoring a broken relationship, opening a new path, providing when all looks lost, do we believe Him? Or do we inwardly laugh, doubting not that He can, but that He will do it… for us?

What promises of God are you still waiting on? Where might you be outwardly trusting but inwardly laughing?

God wasn’t surprised by Abraham’s or Sarah’s laughter. He didn’t withdraw His promise. Instead, He gently called it out so their faith could grow. And He does the same for us.