Iliff and Saltillo UM Churches
June 29, 2003
“Strengthening Your Faith in Troubled Times--A Laughing Faith”
Genesis 18:
INTRODUCTION: If you were to measure your faith on a continuum from 1-10, one being “Faith? What faith?” and 10 being “Faith is my middle name,” where would you rate yourself? If we are honest with ourselves, we probably would have to say, “Oh, my, it’s not where I would like it to be.” Or “Oh, my, it’s lower than I thought it would be.”
The title of today’s message is “Strengthening Your Faith in Troubled times--a Laughing Faith.” Stressful life in the 21st century seems to be taking a toll on our faith. Things come at us from so many different directions that sometimes our doubt seems to be stronger than our faith.
Today’s scripture gives us an example of Abraham and Sarah who were considered to be people of faith, and yet at times they had less than perfect faith. They received the promises of God and started out on their life’s journey with a spring in their step with exuberant faith that God would unfold the promises without doubt. They were faithful in their journey, but now years later, the promise for a son had never come to pass. By this time they were both old. They tried to help God out a little bit, but Ishmael brought consequences and strife they regretted. How many of you have tried to help God out at times with unfavorable results? Where was their faith now? People may have added to their doubt that anything would ever come of the promise. People might have said, “if it hasn’t come true by now, it never will.” “You’re old now. I think you must have heard wrong.” From your own experiences, you can almost hear the “doubting Thomases” coming with their advice and remarks. How does this scripture apply to us today?
1. Abraham and Sarah Laugh in Doubt: Although at various times in their journey, God reaffirmed the promise to Abraham by a covenant and other conversation, yet Abraham ALSO laughed. Verse 17 of chapter 17 says, “Abraham fell facedown; he LAUGHED and said to himself, “Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?” And Abraham said to God, “If only Ishmael might live under your blessing.”
Then God said, “Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him” (v. 19).
At an earlier time in Chapter 15:6 it says, “Abraham believed the Lord and he credited it to him as righteousness,” but then he asked, “How can I KNOW that I will gain possession of it?”
The longer the time went by, there was a mixture of doubt beginning to crowd in on their faith. Maybe it won’t happen. What if we heard wrong? Maybe God has changed His plans. Maybe we better just give up on this dream. After all look at our age. Look at the way things REALLY are. Let’s be realistic.
In today’s scripture Sarah is eavesdropping when the reaffirmation of the covenant was once again made to Abraham. “Sarah laughed to herself as she thought how ridiculous it all sounded. When confronted about it, she denied having laughed. She said, “No, I didn’t.” Why do you think she responded as she did? Maybe it was fear or maybe she didn’t want to admit her innermost feelings. She might have felt embarrassment over her doubts. After all wasn’t she “supposed” to be a person of STRONG FAITH?
Sarah was afraid she would be DISCOVERED. She was afraid her inner thoughts would be discovered. But if God can’t be trusted with our innermost thoughts and fears, we are in greater trouble than we first imagined.
I think this is where we stand today so much of the time. Like Sarah, we often do not want to admit that we have doubts about things. Are you ever afraid to let God see your honest position before him especially when it is one of doubt? We feel we are “supposed to” be people of faith. Maybe we feel God will be disappointed in us. We don’t want to fail Him. We, like Sarah, often become weary over the years of praying about something. We are disappointed, lose hope, and give up on the dream altogether.
These days, what makes you laugh in doubt? It could be any number of things--family, employment, finances, health concerns or a complicated combination of several things. When asked, “Is anything too hard, we quickly answer, ‘No, nothing is too hard for God’”
2. The Heart of the Matter: Although we quickly answer, “No, nothing is too hard for God,” we don’t always think it applies to US. If you were to ask the question a different way, would you come up with the same answer?
Ask yourself, “Is this day in my life too hard for God?”
The way we live--the stress, the worry, the tenseness of our lives--reveals that we are not quite sure. Is this habit I’m trying to break too hard for Him?
Is this communication problem I’m having too hard for Him?
Is my teenager too hard for Him?
Is anything I’m facing so difficult to exceed His Power? We might say, “no, BUT...”
Asking the question in this way reminds you that God is PERSONALLY involved in your life and nudges you to ask for His power to help you.
3. Making the Transition: What can we do about our dilemma? Continue to laugh in doubt or make the transition to laughing in faith? The name “Isaac” means laughter. Sarah hadn’t realized this promise yet, but she soon would. How does Sarah go from laughing SKEPTICALLY to laughing JOYFULLY? And how do we? Sarah is a picture of growing faith, not overnight faith. Strengthening our faith happens as we begin to have a sense of confidence and expectancy that God actually has heard MY prayer. Too often we are still wringing our hands after we say, “Amen.” We are tense and anxious and fearful. A LAUGHING faith helps us to “lighten up” --to relax in the knowledge that God has heard and that He can and will intervene. He will meet us at our point of need.
Hannah Whitall Smith said,
“Faith, mighty faith, the promise cries
and looks at that alone
Laughs at impossibilities
and cries, It shall be done!”
Moving from doubting laughter to confident laughter requires us to get our eyes off of the impossibilities--the negative economy, the boat load of bills, the rebellious teenagers, the negative health reports. Quit spending all your time concentrating on the bad reports and self-perpetuating it. What does your self talk say about your faith?
David said in Psalm 5:3 NIV “In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice: in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait and [laugh] in expectation.
Present your requests to him and let your “Amen” ring with expectant laughter as you start the day. When you laugh you are starting to lighten up. You are releasing your faith. You are no longer bogged down with heaviness and worry. “Lighten up.” God has heard your prayer. “Laughter is God’s hand on the shoulder of a troubled world,” someone once said.
One writer said, “While I think of God as a pretty efficient guy, he doesn’t always operate in the fast lane. He operates quite slowly when he needs to.” Marilyn Maberg
Why? Maybe because we are not prepared to receive his answer just yet. Maybe we would be overwhelmed. Maybe we would take the credit for it instead of giving God the credit. “I handled it.” Maybe other people are involved in the answer, and they are not responding yet.”
Job 8:21 says, “He will YET fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy.”
Did it happen for Sarah? In Genesis 21:6 Sarah said, “God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.”
Sarah learned to believe when there was no reason to believe. You can decide to take the first small step of faith in having confidence that He will answer YOUR prayers.
Our DECISION to believe is that first step. The man in Mark 9:24 said, “I DO believe--help me to overcome my UNBELIEF” [or the part I’m having a struggle with]
What helps us? There are several things:
1. Begin to sing
2. Begin to praise and thank the Lord for the answer. Harry Greenwood said, “Believe you’ve GOT IT before you GET IT.”
3. Surround yourself with some people of faith. Lose the doubters who call you on the phone and dampen your faith.
4. Learn to shake off the negative self talk. Matthew Henry says, “We bar our own doors.”
IN CONCLUSION: 1. What is preventing you from having a laughing, confident faith today?
2. Are you getting your eyes on the overwhelming problems and that is ALL YOU TALK ABOUT?
3. What would it do you good to laugh about right now and what keeps you from doing so?
4. Where in your life is God telling you, “It’s never too late? There’s still something significant I want to do with your life?”
5. What are you going to do about it this week?
Two verses I would like to leave with you this week--Jeremiah 32:17, 27
“Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you.” (vs. 17).
“I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?” (vs. 27).
SHALL WE PRAY:
