The Joy of Laughter (Genesis 21:1-7)

There are many different kinds of laughter. There is a cruel laughter, like the laughter of a bully or of a villain enjoying another’s pain. There is a laughter of uncertainty or indecision – a nervous laughter. There is a communal laughter where our natural reaction is to join in simply because someone else is laughing, even if we don’t know why we’re laughing. There is a laughter of doubt or derision, like when Abraham or Sarah first heard that God would give them a child in their old age. And, greatest of all, there is a laughter of pure joy – where our soul celebrates with incredible emotion that culminates in laughter. 

We see this laughter of pure joy when loved ones are reunited after a tragedy. We see it when lost souls finally come to saving faith in Christ. And, as we will see this morning, we see it when a baby is born.

Please read Genesis 21:1-7.

The most important verse in this passage is verse 1. Everything else revolves around the simple truth that “the Lord did to Sarah as He had promised.”

God’s promises are often too wonderful for us to fully comprehend. Even when we have faith that He will fulfill them, we often still doubt that it will really happen. For instance, we know that, as believers in Jesus Christ, when we die we will go to heaven. But we often still fear death. We know that God has promised to speak through us in our time of need. But we often still fear public speaking. We know that God will provide for our material needs. But we often overwork to try to meet those needs ourselves, “just in case.”

Sarah and Abraham knew that God had promised them a son. But they tried to help God fulfill that promise through Hagar. When Sarah finally became pregnant, she was far past the age of childbearing and it was certainly incredibly dangerous for her to give birth. She must have had doubts about whether or not she would be able to deliver this child; doubts about whether she herself would survive the birth; doubts about whether it would even be a boy like God said.

I’m sure that she trusted God. I’m sure that her and Abraham had faith in God. But that doesn’t keep doubts from creeping in.

Then, God delivered on His promise. The Promised Child was born. Sarah and Abraham were so filled with pure joy that they laughed. They imagined that everyone would laugh when they hear of this tale—not in derision or cruelty, but in mutual joy with them. God had fulfilled His wonderful promise! This is cause for celebration! This is cause for pure joyous laughter!

God has always and God will always fulfill His promises. We can trust in Him. We don’t have to doubt. We can have joy. We can laugh.