Episode Details

Genesis 21, let me pray again real quick before we get going. Father God, thank you for the opportunity to gather as your people this morning. And Father, we ask that just as Scott did just pray, that you would help me to clearly articulate your word to your people.

Father, we ask that as we gather under your word that you would instruct us by it, conform us to the image of your son, we pray in Jesus name. Amen. Do you ever feel forgotten by God as if God doesn't know what's going on in your life, or if he does know, he doesn't care.

He doesn't see it's not important to him. Even King David in Psalm 13 and verse one cries out, Oh Lord, how long will you forget me forever? I think what we're going to see in chapter 21 of Genesis is that God has not forgotten you. God has not forgotten his promises to you.

God is faithful and he remembers his people and he remembers his word. If you feel forgotten or forsaken, trust the faithful God. He will transform your morning into joy.

Luke chapter six and verse 21 says, blessed are you who mourn now for you will be comforted. Blessed are you who weep for you will laugh. First thing we see in Genesis chapter 21, we'll read the first seven verses.

What we'll see here is that God is the faithful laugh giver. It's not how we normally think of God, a laugh giver, but that's exactly what we see here. Genesis 21 beginning in verse one says the Lord visited Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did to Sarah as he had promised.

And Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age at the time of which God had spoken to him. Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him, whom Sarah bore him, Isaac. And Abraham circumcised his son, Isaac, when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him.

Abraham was a hundred years old when his son, Isaac, was born to him. And Sarah said, God has made laughter for me. Everyone who hears will laugh over me.

And she said, who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have born him a son in his old age. So we remember where these people are coming from. 25 years earlier, God had called Abraham out of Ur of the Chaldeans, out of the land of his forefathers, where they were moon worshipers.

And he said, I'm going to make you a great nation. I'm going to make you a great people. I'm going to give you a land.

And through you will all the nations of the earth be blessed. And of course, at that time, this is a remarkable thing for God to say to Abraham, who's 75 years old, has a 65 year old wife who is barren. And over the years, this has been tested.

And so about 11 years after they left Ur of the Chaldeans, Sarah is ready to give up on God's promise and says, well, maybe we can help him out. And so she offers her maid servant, Hagar, to Abraham to have a child with her. They do.

Child's name is Ishmael. And God says, no, Ishmael is not going to inherit. You will have a son through Sarah.

But then still another 14 years pass before this moment. And back in chapter 18, we had seen God had come once again to Abraham and had said to him about this time next year, your wife will have a son. And Sarah is standing in the tent and she overhears this conversation and she laughs.

And it seems to be like a sarcastic, almost sad and bitter laughter. Now that I am old here in my age here past the age of childbearing, and then some will, will I have pleasure? Will I have a child? It's hard for her to believe. And yet we come to this moment and here is exactly what has happened.

She has had a son. God specializes in the impossible. Three times in these seven verses, it is reiterated how old Abraham is.

In verse two, Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age. Verse five, Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. Verse seven, Sarah says, who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children yet I have borne hi