Genesis 18:1-15 Believing God’s Promises to You

In Genesis 17 Abraham laughed when he heard that the Lord would bless him with a descendant. After all, Abraham was ninety-nine years old and had not yet had a child. How could the Lord accomplish this feat in his life?

In Chapter 18, three mysterious men arrive on the scene. Abraham fixes them some food and refreshes them.

Then the men asked him about Sarah, his wife. How did they know about her? How did they know her name? Furthermore, one of them said that he would return at a future time and that she would have a son.

As Sarah heard this statement she laughed just as Abraham had done. She was too old to bear a child. How could this happen?

The Lord then says, “Why did Sarah laugh and say ‘Will I really have a child when I am old?’ Is there anything impossible for the Lord” (Gen 18:14

At this point Sarah was afraid so she denied laughing. The Lord said to her, “No! You did laugh” (Gen 18:15).

You and I know the rest of the story, so we tend to ridicule Abraham and Sarah for laughing at God and disbelieving His promises. However, these were people of great faith. Abraham had obeyed God many times. He had left Ur to go to a new land. He had believed God concerning the promises, and God had reckoned it to him as righteousness. Abraham and Sarah were not perfect people; they were sinners just as you and I. Even so, they walked with God.

How often do you and I disbelieve God’s promises? It is easy to fall into the trap of thinking that He will not do what He has promised. In fact, our world tells us that He does not exist, or that if He does He did not create the world, has nothing to do with it, cannot guarantee anyone eternal life, and will not judge anyone in the future.

Because we live in that kind of society, we can adopt the same kind of thinking. We may not laugh outwardly at God’s promises, but deep down, we may wonder whether they are true.

Our daily lives are filled with difficulties and sorrows that can discourage us unless we look to the Lord and trust in Him. He has given us His precious and magnificent promises. When tempted to wonder whether God is at work in our lives, we should remember those promises and cling to them with joy and gladness.

“He who has begun a good work in you will continue it until the day of Christ Jesus” (Phil 1:6).