Daring Joyنموونە

Sarah: The Vulnerability of Joy

We don’t often think of joy as a vulnerable experience or a response that requires courage. But in fact, joy is one of the most vulnerable emotional experiences we can encounter because the very act of holding something wonderful—like a gift or good news—is accompanied by the possibility of loss and heartbreak. If you’ve experienced pain or trauma of any kind in your life, you know it can feel safer not to embrace joy (let alone celebrate it) than to hold dear to something that might break.

Throughout Sarah’s story in Genesis 12–18, she certainly shared Abraham’s pain and longings, but she didn’t turn to God and wrestle Him with her questions. Instead, she turned away from God and chose control over trust.

Sarah considered herself too old to bear children, and she blamed her barrenness on the Lord (Gen. 16:2). Also, she and Abraham had left their homeland, which was a much greater and more unusual decision than in our modern, individualistic culture. It’s no exaggeration to say they risked everything they held dear to obey God’s call.

Years pass and Abraham was ninety-nine years old when God reestablished His covenant in Genesis 17 (first established in Genesis 12), bringing clarity to the promise that Abraham’s descendants would indeed come from him and Sarah. This is the exchange where God changed Abram’s name to Abraham and told him once again that he would be the father of many nations and that kings would come from his line. God promised that the covenant He made with Abraham would be an everlasting covenant throughout the generations. He also promised to give Abraham’s family the land of Canaan. God changed Sarai’s name to Sarah, and despite her mistrust and attempts to take God’s plan into her own hands, God reestablished her as the birth mother of this great nation.

Abraham laughed with delightful disbelief! He initially engaged God with his questions and lack of understanding, which is a sign of trust and intimacy in his relationship with God. His delightful disbelief was quickly followed by acceptance and belief, even if he still didn’t understand how God’s promises would be fulfilled.

In chapter 18, the promises of chapter 17 were reiterated by three men whom we understand to be angels visiting Sarah and Abraham, telling them that by this time the following year, Sarah would bear a son.

The Bible doesn’t tell us how Sarah felt in that moment as she listened from the entrance of the tent, but we pick up on an air of skepticism and cynicism as she laughed to herself, asking: “After I am worn out and my lord is old, will I have delight?” God’s questioning of Sarah’s laughter and reminder that nothing is impossible for Him gives us insight into her heart (vv. 13-14). Sarah’s laughter seems markedly different from Abraham’s. I can imagine the pain that came with that promise.

Because God’s provision looked different than her own vision of what the fulfillment of God’s promise would look like, Sarah was unable to celebrate God’s good news—that by the same time next year, she would bear a son (Gen. 18:10). When we have experienced painful circumstances like the one Sarah endured, joy can feel too vulnerable. We convince ourselves that hope is not a wise move and will only lead us to heartache and disappointment. In that place, we often refuse to embrace joy and keep our expectations low. But this approach runs counter to the invitation we see in the Bible.

If joy was simply the byproduct of our circumstances, then daring to choose joy would indeed be a risky game, as Sarah believed it was. But the truth—not our feelings or our circumstances—sets us free to celebrate. Specifically, the truth about God’s character and faithfulness sets us free to hope for the future and rejoice in God’s promises.

Read Genesis 18:1-15. As you consider Sarah’s cynicism, think about areas in your own life where you are holding back joy and hope. Ask the Lord to help you trust His character and faithfulness more than your fear.