The LORD asks Abraham why Sarah laughed, saying she would really have a child now that she is old. The question is directed to Abraham, not to Sarah, calling her to account through the husband rather than directly. The LORD heard the inner laugh; nothing is private from this visitor. The diagnostic nature of the question echoes God's questions throughout Genesis. The fact that God heard what Sarah said only to herself repeats the theme of El Roi, the God who sees (Genesis 16:13). Psalm 139:4 declares that before a word is on the tongue, the LORD knows it completely. The application: the inner conversation, what you say to yourself when alone, when the laughter is private, is not private. The visitor at the tent heard Sarah's inner laugh. What does the visitor hear in yours?

COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS

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