Some Days I just need to feel god's confidence

​So, as the story goes in the book of Genesis, it's a hot day in the desert. Abraham is hanging out in his tent, fanning himself, doing everything he can just to keep himself cool.

Then along comes God.

I'm sure Abraham thought, this is an illusion. The heat is getting to me. But he gets up anyways and makes his way to God.

God says, hey, where's Sarah, your wife.

Oh, she's just chilling in the tent, Abraham told him.

Well, God said, mark my word, I'm coming back through here a year from now and she'll be busy taking care of a baby.

Laughter erupts from the tent. Sarah, who was eavesdropping while she was in the tent chilling, loses it. She's 90 years old and this God guy just said she's going to have a baby.

Then God says in the scriptures:

“Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?’ Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.”

I read those words this morning, and I could almost hear God saying to Abraham - dude, like it's only a baby, you really think I can't pull this thing off? I mean, would you like to bet a couple of goats and a cow on this whole deal?

God did come back a year later. And he would have won that bet.

I confess, there are times lately when I get to feeling like I really need to hear God say, oh, mark my word, I'm going to pull this thing off. You may think you're too old, or too unqualified, or too damaged, or just too stinking far gone... but really, Keith, "Is anything too hard for the Lord?"

Reading this story in Genesis this morning, I could almost hear God saying, how much do you want to bet that I can pull this thing off in your life? I could see his frozen stare as I Iaughed out loud at the suggestion he could actually make something of this mess.

I could hear God confidently say, talk to me a year from now.

There are a lot of people who get to thinking I follow an arrogant God. I've heard him called a dictator and an egomaniac. My mission here this morning isn't to change anyone's opinions on that.

I'm just here to say that sometimes it's nice to wake up in the morning, when you're not feeling so confident about life yourself, and hear a confident God tell you I've got this.

It's nice to have a God who reminds me, in the midst of laughing at the suggestion he can make something of me, that time and time again he's made something of my messes.

I guess it's just nice to wake up and feel like I follow a God I won't dare bet against.

Especially when you get to betting against yourself.