Devotionals by Dr. M. Craig Barnes
Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed. --
Abraham and Sarah spent most of their lives chasing God's promise that they would have a son. After it became painfully clear that they were way too old to make babies, they decided to settle into the patriarch nursing home without seeing the promise come true. Then one day, after his hundredth birthday, Abraham received another visit from God who said this would be a good time for their son to be born. It was so ludicrous that Abraham fell to the ground and began convulsing with laughter. A little later, Sarah got wind of this sacred rumor and she laughed as well. Apparently, God wasn't offended by all this laughter because he told them to go ahead and name the kid Isaac, which means "he laughs." Maybe even God thought it was pretty funny.
-- Craig Barnes
God's gifts never show up when we think they should. Sometimes they come early, but usually they arrive later than we were expecting. Abraham would say, "A lot later." The important thing is not when they come, but our recognition that they come only from God.
Your ability to break out in laughter and your ability to live by faith are pretty much the same thing. You laugh when you're delightfully surprised. Laughter means that now you get it