Through the lens of Woman
Circumcision and the visit at Mamre
The most overlooked moment in Genesis 18 is what happens after Sarah laughs.
The LORD asks Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh?” (Gen 18:13). And Sarah, from inside the tent, denies it. “I did not laugh.” And the LORD says, “No, you did laugh.”
Most of us would expect anger here. Or shame. Or correction. What we get is naming. The Father simply names what Sarah did. You laughed. I heard it. I am not pretending you didn’t.
This is a small detail with massive implications. The Father is not afraid of what is happening inside the women he is working with. He hears the laughter. He hears the bitter prayers. He hears the I can’t even let myself hope you have been carrying for years. He is not pretending you don’t feel it. He is also not condemning you for it.
He is in the business of naming what is real and turning it into Isaac. (The boy’s name literally means he laughs.) The thing Sarah was ashamed of becomes the name of her son. The Father takes the laughter and makes it joy.
One small thing today: name the unspoken thing you have been carrying — the bitter laugh, the unbelief, the protective edge. Tell the Father about it directly. He is not surprised. He has plans for it.