Chuckle at the absurdity

 

     There have been some great evangelists in the history of the Church. One of those was a man by the name of George Campbell Morgan, who preached his first sermon at 13 years old. But at the age of 19, Morgan became troubled by the writings of Charles Darwin, other scientists, and agnostics of his time. Their writings bothered him so much that Morgan canceled all his speaking events and put away all his books.

 

     Morgan bought a new Bible and said to himself, “I am not longer sure that this is what my father claims it to be—the Word of God. But of this I am sure. If it be the Word of God, and if I come to it with an unprejudiced and open mind, it will bring assurance to my soul of itself.” God spoke to Morgan, giving him new assurance and sent him back out preaching. (Wycliffe Handbook of Preaching & Preachers, Moody, 1984, p. 211)

 

     There are many things that we read, see, and think that may raise doubts in our minds. But why? God has repeatedly proved Himself. As we continue our Lent series, “Never Again” we will look at a forefather of the faith who faced a moment of doubt. He chuckles at the absurdity of God’s promise.

 

 

     Genesis 17:1-7, 15-17 (CEB):

 

     (1-7) When Abram was 99 years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am El Shaddai. Walk with me and be trustworthy. I will make a covenant between us and I will give you many, many descendants.” Abram fell on his face, and God said to him, “But me, my covenant is with you; you will be the ancestor of many nations. And because I have made you the ancestor of many nations, your name will no longer be Abram but Abraham. I will make you very fertile. I will produce many nations from you, and kings will come from you. I will set up my covenant with you and your descendants after you in every generation as an enduring covenant, I will be your God and your descendants’ God after you.”

 

     (15-17) God said to Abraham, “As for your wife Sarai, you will no longer call her Sarai. Her name will now be Sarah. I will bless her and even give you a son from her. I will bless her so that she will become nations, and kings of peoples will come from her.”

 

     Abraham fell on his face and laughed. He said to himself, Can a 100-year-old man become a father, or Sarah, a 90-year-old woman, have a child?

 

 

This is the Word of God.

For the people of God.

Thanks be to God.

 

 

     As we look at this passage, we encounter the line where faith collides with doubt. There are many reasons we could give for doubt, but all our answers only serve to mask the real culprit. It is in this story of God’s promise to Abraham, a hero of faith, that we discover the source of our doubt.

 

     The promise God gives to Abraham in verses 1 through 7 is not a new one. In chapter 15, God tells Abraham this same promise. But then time went by, and the promise still had not happened. This is why in chapter 16, Abraham and Sarah take matters into their own hands by having Abraham sleep with Sarah’s maidservant, Hagar. Hagar gets pregnant, but that opens a whole can of worms. Trying to get God’s blessing without God’s will always lead to such disasters.

 

     Thirteen years later, after Abraham and Sarah’s failed attempt to go it alone, God comes to him again. God begins in verse 1 by saying, “I am El Shaddai” or “God Almighty.” In the English, this does not say much to us. But in Hebrew, God uses this unique name for Himself, God is saying to Abraham, “I am God all-sufficient.” The Lord is telling Abraham that He is the God who pours out blessings on people.

 

     Continuing in verse 1, God says, “walk blameless.” God is telling Abraham to do it His way, Abraham is to have faith in God and then live his life through that faith. Abraham already had an example of what happens when he does not.

 

     In verse 5, God gives Abraham a new name. Up to this point, Abraham’s name was “Abram” which meant “exalted father.” His new name means “ancestor of a multitude.” God’s promise and call for Abraham to walk blamelessly was entering a new period in his life. One that was not Abraham’s own but a life that belonged to God.

 

     Despite Abraham and Sarah trying to gain the promise without God, God reaffirms his covenant with Abraham and Sarah again. How does Abraham respond to God? In verse 17, it says, “Abraham fell on his face and laughed.” Abraham laughs at the idea that God will do the impossible. Why does Abraham laugh? It could be that the idea of them giving birth was a 100-year-old man and his 90-year-old wife giving birth was an impossible task. And yet, God was promising to do it. The thought was so ridiculous all Abraham could do was joyfully laugh. Or Abraham laughed because he believed the promise of descendants was possible but doubted how it would be accomplished.

 

     Either way brings us to the same issue, doubt. Whether it is blatant in Abraham’s laugh or not, it reveals an attitude of doubt that is a pattern in the mind, rooted in his heart. The broken humanity in him, even though he heard it spoken from God and had experienced His goodness, still was saturated in doubt.

 

     Why do we doubt? Because sin has convinced us to fear God, believing in our hearts that He wants to punish us for our sins. Our hearts do not trust God is good, or that He wants to do something good in our lives. To complicate matters, sin has taught us to not trust anyone or anything good. Anything good from this world seems to come with strings attached.

 

     Remember the name God gave Himself to Abraham? “God all-sufficient.” God is enough. John Wesley wrote, “We have all in him, and we have enough in him… We have enough to satisfy our most enlarged desires; enough to supply the defect of everything else and to secure happiness for our immortal souls.” The idea that God could fall short of His promises or even fail to provide for our needs is ridiculous. Doubt is a lie fabricated in the depths of humanity’s brokenness.

 

     How could Abraham be considered a forefather of faith if he laughed because of doubt? Paul writes in Romans 4:20, “Abraham did not waver in unbelief about the promise of God but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God.” Abraham is considered a forefather of faith because while there may have been doubt in how the plan would be accomplished, he believed that God was greater than his unbelief. Abraham did not try to make God compete with his unbelief. He surrendered to God, knowing that God was bigger, more powerful, and greater than his unbelief.

 

     You and I can have faith like Abraham. Never again do we have to chuckle at the absurdity of the impossible. Why? Because God has already worked the most impossible of all impossibilities. He made a way for lost sinners to come home. Jesus died and rose again to prove to us that God loves us. If Jesus can save the very ones who rejected Him, nothing is impossible for God. Even when we were so lost we did not know to even look for God, in His grace He dropped breadcrumbs in our lives to point us to Jesus.

 

     The faith of Abraham is trusting God more than your own heart and understanding. It is to stop trying to control everything, lining up your ducks and those of everyone around you. And believing that you never again have to chuckle at the absurdity of the impossible, because there is nothing that your God cannot do.

 

     What is it you are trying to work out on your own? Trust God, because He can! What is the impossible thing that makes you think that God cannot do it? He can! Trust Him! Maybe you think you have sinned too great and are beyond redemption. Do you think your sin is greater than the blood of Jesus? No matter what it is, surrender to God this morning.

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