An Unlikely Birth

Reflection

It can be cause for celebration when a woman realizes she is expecting a child. For my mother, the cause was doubled when she learned that she was carrying twins. The news was a surprise she joyfully welcomed.

Surprises in births may come in many forms…a baby arriving early, an unexpected set of twins or triplets, the delight of a little boy or girl when their sex has not been revealed before their birth. For Sarah, though, the surprise was not the baby—a son had been promised. Sarah was long-past childbearing age, and her husband was old. That she would give birth to a child was a big surprise; one might even think it a laughable one.

Twenty five years had passed since Abraham was first told that he would have a son. When Sarah gave birth to Isaac, her husband was 100, she was 90! At last, God fulfilled his promise. He had instructed Abraham to name their child Isaac, which means “laughter.” Abraham and Sarah had laughed at the thought of conceiving a child in their old age; now Sarah laughed for joy. She had not only experienced the faithfulness of God—Sarah had been shown God’s power, that nothing is too hard for him. She also learned that God could be trusted to carry out his promises in his time.

We, too, are called to wait on God’s promises, in this life and for eternity. We, too, may experience doubt, suffer with impatience, question his timing. But God’s faithfulness continues, his power is still at work—there is nothing for which we cannot trust him. We, too, can rest in his care for us; we can trust that God has purpose in our waiting—things to teach us, to build our faith, to give us new reasons to know joy.