By Evangelist Joyce Ndeda

Outrageous Promise
Genesis18:9, 15, Genesis 21:1-7

“And they said unto him, where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent.   10 And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent-door, which was behind him.   11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.   12 Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, after I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?   13 And the Lord said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old?   14 Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son. 15 Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not; for she was afraid. And he said, nay; but thou didst laugh.”

Have you ever received a word or a promise from the Lord that seems to be so great and beyond your comprehension? How did you react to the thought of it coming to pass?

I have noticed that God has a tendency of giving us promises that are bigger than our heads can comprehend, because His aim is not for us to do it alone, but rather to trust Him to do it through us. Let me caution you though; never magnify your challenges above God’s Word! Always remember that He is the God of all wisdom and before He promised you or called you, He was quite aware of your limitations and inadequacies.

Our main focus in our topic “the outrageous promise” in this issue is Sarah, Abraham’s wife, who happened to be barren for most of her life. You may be wondering how the wife of such a faithful man who obediently left his native land to follow God, could be a victim of such a predicament.

Well, let’s settle one thing here, just because you are a saint does not mean that challenges won’t come your way. They will, but you are assured of the strength to go through them and ultimately come out victorious and more than a conqueror.
Outrageous means something very shocking and unacceptable, or something very unusual. So when I talk about the outrageous promise, I’m talking about unusual and shocking seasons of laughter that the Lord is bringing you into, in this season of growth.
In the above portion of scripture the bible records a story about the angels of the Lord visiting Abraham’s house. Sarah was busy fixing her stew in the kitchen and she happened to overhear the most outrageous news of her lifetime; she would be having a baby! She could not remember which year she had stopped receiving her menstrual periods and hit menopause. She had gone past the age of the hot flushes that come with menopause and nicely settled into childless old age. Then there came a different shocking message that defied all logic and Sarah could not help but laugh at what looked like a big joke. The bible highlights two occasions where Sarah laughed between the promise and the fulfilment.

 The first Laughter!

Genesis 18:12
11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women. 12 Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, after I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my Lord being old also?
People laugh for different reasons, sometimes they laugh in expression of joy, happiness or even responding to a joke. It is scientifically proven that it is healthy to laugh. In some instances sometimes people also laugh in mockery or even as a way of despising or humiliating.

In this case, Sarah’s laughter didn’t please the LORD and so the Lord asked Abraham her husband, ‘why did Sarah laugh?’  What manner of laughter was this that may have displeased the Lord? We understand that Sarah had been barren and had even reached a stage in her life where she never thought or dreamt of carrying a baby in her own womb, except through her Egyptian house maiden. King James Version says that, it had ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.

Her limited natural thinking could never imagine her dead womb according to Romans 4:19 conceiving at all. Sarah laughed in disbelief. The promise was too far beyond her ability, but notice what the angels of the Lord said, “Is there anything too hard with the Lord?” This was not a rebuke but a correction. The reason Sarah found it too hard to believe was because she was the one in the picture and to her it seemed beyond all sense that motherhood could still be her portion.

She for a moment magnified her obstacle more than the Rhema Word that she had just heard. The angel of the Lord was quick to correct her by shifting her eyes from herself, to God the promise-giver, through whom all things are possible. I know am talking to women or men to whom the Lord has given a dream, a vision or a word. Yet when you put your profile together, you laugh just like Sarah.

Some of us have a doctor’s report that says there is no cure, others have been waiting on God for a child or a husband for many years and others are ministers whose dreams are greater than their resources. Some people are hopping from one specialist to another trying to find a cure for  their child, some people’s businesses never seem to get off the ground. But regardless of which category you fall into, I want to inform you that you will be frustrated if you put your eyes in who you are, or how bad the situation looks. Rather lift up your eyes unto the Lord from whence comes your help.
In this season, God by His spirit will be talking to His people revealing to them their great destinies. So don’t allow yourself to feel inferior or intimidated, you actually heard Him right, you are qualified. It’s not what you can do for God but rather what God can do with you irrespective of your limitations.  It is not about who was promised, but who has promised! Hebrews 10:23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for He is faithful that promised)

(b)The Second laughter

Genesis 21: 1, 6
“And the Lord visited Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did unto Sarah as he had spoken. 2 For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him............ And Sarah said, God hath made me to laugh, so that all that hear will laugh with me”

The moment Sarah received the correction from the angel of the Lord she actually became strong enough and by faith received the strength to conceive (Hebrews 11; 34). This strength came when her eyes became fixed on God (for whom nothing is too hard) for there is strength to birth God’s purpose where there is faith. Remember that the fulfilment of the promise didn’t come immediately, but Sarah needed to be strong enough to go through the waiting period. After you have agreed with God that it can be done, you need to be strong enough to hold onto your promise no matter what happens. There will always be forces trying to  defy our faith, but stand on that promise till it comes to pass.

The second time that we see Sarah laughing is when she is breastfeeding her son. But this time she is laughing because God has proved to be faithful and a covenant keeper. Your second laughter is on the way, the Lord is about to fill you with unspeakable joy, by bringing you to the place of your promise. Hold onto the promise for at the appointed time, it shall come to pass.