This story is featured in two collections of Bible stories for kids called Do Not Be Afraid: Bible Stories for Kids about Hope.
Genesis 18 & 21
God promised Abraham and Sarah that they would have many descendants, but they grew very old and still were unable to have children together. They thought it would be impossible to have children now that they were old, but God maintained his promise that they would have a son and name him Isaac.
As you read this story, pay attention to Sarah’s reaction when the angels promise that she will have a son.
Abraham sat outside his tent in the middle of a hot day. All of a sudden, he was surprised to see three men standing near him. Although he did not know it at the time, the men were angels in disguise. He got up quickly to greet them.
He said to them, “My lord, if I find favor with you, do not pass by your servant. Let me give you a little water and wash your feet so that you can rest yourselves under a tree. Let me bring you some bread, too, before you go.”
“Do as you have said,” they replied.
Abraham ran into the tent to Sarah and asked her to prepare three loaves of bread for them. Then he went out to ask a servant to prepare some meat for them, as well. He brought all these things for them to eat.
“Where is your wife Sarah?” they asked.
“There, in the tent,” Abraham replied.
One of them said, “I will return to you next year, and your wife Sarah shall have a son.”
Sarah overheard this from the entrance of the tent. She had longed for a son for many years but had never been able to have a baby. She was very old by this time and could not contain her laughter.
Then they said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh? Is there anything too wonderful for the Lord? Sarah shall have a son.”
The Lord did as he promised for the couple. Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son. They named him Isaac, which means “laughter.”
When her son was born, Sarah said, “God has brought laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh with me. Who would have ever said that we would have children? Yet I have given birth to a son in my old age.”
Reflection Questions
- Why did Sarah laugh when she heard the angels say she would give birth to a son?
- Has anything ever happened to you that made you laugh?
- How can you laugh about life like Sarah did in this story?
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