September 1, 2026

GOD’S WORD FOR TODAY:

“Then the Lord said to Abraham, ‘Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really have a child, now that I am old?’ The Lord asked Abraham so that Sarah would hear, ‘Is anything too hard for Me? I will return to you at the appointed time next year, and Sarah will have a son.’ Sarah, upon hearing that the Lord had heard her, was afraid, so she lied and said, ‘I did not laugh.‘ But the Lord said, ‘Yes, you did laugh!’” (Genesis 18.13-15)

REFLECTION ON GOD’S WORD:

It would be in the days of Moses (Exodus 33) that God would declare “No one can look upon the face of God and live.” God appeared to Moses in a burning bush on the mountain of Sinai. He told Moses to take off his sandals because the ground he stood on was sacred. In 1 Kings 19, we hear of how Elijah hid in the cleft of a Mount Horeb as God’s glory passed by. He was, too, was protected from seeing the face of God. And while it does not saw that place was so holy Elijah should remove his sandals, there is little doubt that any place touched by God would be purified and made clean. Such was the case when Isaiah met God in the Temple the year King Uzziah had died. When Isaiah sought to disqualify himself from service being a man of unclean lips among a people of the same, a burning coal was taken from the censer fire. It was pressed against his lips and made holy and sanctified before the Lord. It was then Isaiah declared, “Here am I, I AM, send me.” I ask you, mighty ones of God as well as those who are reading with curiosity and perhaps some skepticism, to bear these scenes in mind as we reflect upon the conversation God had with Abraham and especially with Sarah.

What always encourages me is how God makes Himself known to us. He says to Sarah but through Abraham, “Is anything too hard for Me to do?” And while we know that God can do all things, we tend to sell God short on what He can do according to what we want or need. Just because God can do a thing doesn’t mean He should do a thing. The same would be true for us. It is in this moment in Abraham and Sarah’s life that we see the truth of God with accountability. Why do we seek to cover up the truth instead of professing our mistaken identity, our lack of knowledge, our errors in judgment or same wrong…such as lying. And this is what Sarah did. She laughed with embarrassment and incredulity at the word of God. I do not know if Abraham had not told her what God had said or not. It would seem that he did not and thus was as guilty as Adam not communicating effectively with Eve about the Forbidden Fruit. What stands out for me is the forthrightness of God confronting Sarah. He asks Abraham why Sarah laughed to hold Abraham accountable (God knew that Abraham had slipped up.) And in the process, Sarah hears (as God intended for her to do so which may tell us more about Sarah’s nature and character) and lies that “It wasn’t me?” I wonder if she really believed that she could talk to God like that and that He wouldn’t know. Of course, He knew and He needed Sarah to know and to believe that He was the God of all things. Going back to “not looking upon the face of God” scenarios previously mentioned, I wonder if God did one of those “snap” looks at Sarah and Abraham as if to say, “Really, you just said that to me?” We have seen those looks from our parents (usually our mothers), some of us from our wives and dads have learned to show that “fear of God” stare. Sarah got one and God let her know she was no invisible or immaterial. When God said, “Of course you did,” He was including Sarah in the plan not just as one acted upon but an actor in the whole course of faith history. She tried to be a change agent to please herself (being without the apparent ability to not bear children) and satisfy her husband by surrendering her monogamous hold on Abraham with the offer of Hagar. Now God was blessing her and Abraham so that the whole world would know it could only happen because of God’s favor. How would we respond? Would we laugh and lie? Would see fall down to our knees crying mercy and giving thanks to God for such a wonderful blessing of a legacy.

TODAY’S PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING:

Father, in these days we are finding the need to believe even more than ever before. We all have known trouble, some in greater ways than others, but You are offering us the assurance that we will not be consumed by it forever. Regardless of the “time” we are in and the “time” we have been given, we ask for Your Holy Spirit which Jesus asked You to share with us, to lead and guide and direct us in the paths we should go. Teach us what we still need to learn. Empower us to put that learning into action. Bless our actions not as a works righteousness endeavor, but as righteous works of faith, hope and love in Jesus’ name. AMEN.