And the Lord visited Sarah as He had said, and the Lord did for Sarah as He had spoken. For Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him. And Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him—whom Sarah bore to him—Isaac. Then Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him. Now Abraham was one hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. And Sarah said, “God has made me laugh, and all who hear will laugh with me.” She also said, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? For I have borne him a son in his old age.” (Genesis 21:1-7)

God Will Make You Laugh

Many things in life are impossible and without answers. Sometimes a thing may seem impossible, but through the fortunes of life can be achieved. The four-minute mile seemed impossible, but it happened in 1954 and is now the standard for all male professional middle-distance runners in several cultures. Landing a man on the moon was beyond the imagination of human wisdom. Neil Armstrong stepped on the Moon on July 20, 1969. The power of human wisdom achieved the impossible. When something is genuinely impossible, nothing within the framework of man’s knowledge, power, and technology can achieve it. Neil Armstrong walked on the Moon, but it was impossible to walk to the Moon. A man can’t live in the sea without an artificial device to give him oxygen. Contrary to today’s culture, a man can’t give birth to a child. God created only the woman for that role.

In the arena of impossibilities, a ninety-year-old woman cannot give birth to a child. This is especially true for a man one hundred years old. Before the flood, men lived nearly a thousand years. After the flood, life expectancy changed. Giving birth to a child could only happen when the woman’s womb was full of life. In the creation of Eve, God ordained a time when the womb would no longer bear children. When the Lord first appeared to Abraham and told the patriarch he would be the father of a great nation, Abraham was seventy-five. Sarah was sixty-five. When Abraham was ninety-nine, God appeared to remind him of His promise of a great nation. God tells Abraham He would make him the father of many nations. He tells Abraham that Sarah will have a son and be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be from her. Sarah was eighty-nine at the time God spoke to Abraham. Abraham fell on his face and laughed.

God can make a man laugh. Abraham was feeling the pains of living for almost one hundred years. He believed in the promise of God, but to consider the possibility of him having a son at his age was an impossibility. He suggested God consider Ishmael as the son of promise. Abraham had good reason to think it was impossible to bear a son. And he was correct. At this time, the womb of Sarah was dead, and Abraham’s body was dead, so far as having a son. Abraham and Sarah couldn’t have a son. Modern medical science could not have changed the impossibility. The condition of Abraham and Sarah was permanent. And then God made Sarah laugh.

Soon after telling Abraham that he would have a Son, God sent three angels to Abraham to inform him of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. As the men sat with Abraham in his tent, they reaffirmed the promise of a son. Sarah had been busy making provisions for the men when they asked Abraham where she was. Abraham said she was in the tent. They told Abraham according to the time of life, Sarah would give birth to a son. Sarah was listening at the tent door and when she heard what the man said, laughed within herself at the possibility of a child being born to her. She knew she had passed the age of childbearing. Hearing the news, she laughed within herself. She could not believe it. The angels knew she had laughed and reminded Abraham that nothing was impossible for God.

Nine months later, Sarah gave birth to Isaac and laughed. She had a baby at the age of ninety. It was the impossible made possible by the God of impossibilities. Her laughter was the amazement at what God’s power can do. It must have been an amazing thing for everyone to see a pregnant ninety-year-old woman walking around and then hear of her son’s perfect birth. Everyone was laughing – seeing the power of God to do the impossible. She bore Abraham a son in his old age. At the age of ninety, she nursed her son. Sarah laughed with wonder and joy at the power of the Lord. No one could believe it, but it was true.

The possibility of a ninety-year-old woman giving birth to a healthy baby boy remains impossible. Human wisdom will never craft medicine or technology to allow this. The virgin birth of Jesus was the highest of impossibilities made possible by the power of God. These miracles are among a host of signs of what God can do if the heart is willing to laugh and believe the impossible. Not to laugh in derision, but belief. There is nothing God cannot do to change a person’s life. The grace of God saved Paul. The magicians in Ephesus gave up their trade and burned their books worth millions of dollars for Jesus Christ. Paul refers to saints at Corinth as fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, homosexuals, sodomites, thieves, covetous, drunkards, revilers, and extortioners. They were washed, sanctified, and justified in the name of Jesus Christ. Impossible? Not with the power of God.

There is nothing in your life God cannot make possible. You may face the impossible. Let God change your impossible to possible. If He can give life to a ninety-year-old woman to give birth to a son in her old age, what kind of possibility can He accomplish in your life? Trust in Him. Seek His power. Trust in His grace. Let God make you laugh.