Genesis 18:1-15

I love to laugh. They say laughter is the best medicine. Research has shown it to be true.  People who laugh have less stress and are healthier on average. The ability to see humor in the midst of hard times helps us to not take things so seriously. Shared laughter is a human trait. Research shows we are 30 times more likely to laugh with others than when by ourselves. Laughter is most often a social activity.

Humor is the best reason, but it is not the only reason people laugh. There’s also what we call the nervous laugh. When we are extremely nervous and stressed we sometimes laugh at inappropriate times and situations. I experienced that once while visiting a friend in the hospital. When I saw him the shock of how bad he looked cause me to think he was dying, and without intending to, I laughed. Afterwards I felt terrible about it, but it was not intentional.

Sarah’s laughter was neither humorous nor nervous. Her laughter was a bitter and incredulous laughter. When she heard the Lord tell Abraham that she was going to mother a child she couldn’t believe it. Abraham was old, and she was way past the age of childbearing. She instinctively didn’t believe it and felt bitter that she had never been a mother.

Most laughter is not intentional. It springs spontaneously from within. Laughter prompted by humor, nervousness or bitterness all has an element of spontaneity. Sarah did not laugh at God on purpose, but she did lie about it on purpose. She was afraid. She did not need to be afraid of God. God reminded her that with him nothing is impossible.

God tells us that he can take the most painful, impossible, screwed-up mess, in our life and turn it into something beautiful. Sometimes we may experience spontaneous bitter and incredulous laughter. If we believe God, He will turn our bitter laughter into tears of joy.