Then Abraham bowed down to the ground, but he laughed to himself in disbelief. "How could I become a father at the age of 100?" he thought. "And how can Sarah have a baby when she is ninety years old?"

Genesis 17:17

In the previous verses, God had promised to Abraham that his wife, now called Sarah, would bear a son. So what does Abraham, the paragon of faith, do next? He laughs. He finds God's promise to be, well, ridiculous. Abraham's laughter doesn't flow from glad belief, but from skepticism and doubt. He simply cannot accept what God has promised to do.

One of the things I love most about the Bible is its utterly honest portrait of its heroes and heroines. For example, we see Abraham acting in gutsy obedience to God's call, and we see him laugh in disbelief in response to God's "ridiculous" promise. How encouraging this is to us as we struggle to be people of faith.

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION: Have you ever laughed in response to something God promised to you? Or have you ever wanted to laugh, but hid your true feelings from God?

PRAYER:  Sometimes, Lord, I feel like such a failure in faith. I can move from confident faith to stifling doubt in a flash. One day I trust you fully. The next day I'm uncertain. Forgive me, Lord, for my inconsistency and unbelief.

Thank you, Lord, for the example of Abraham. His response to you is so understandable, so human, so available. It helps me to realize that my struggles with you are common to your people. It gives me the strength to press on in faith, knowing that doubt can be part of the process of coming to know you more deeply and truly. Amen.