Sarai with an H

 Sarah said, "God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me." —Genesis 21:6

Meet Sarai. She is ninety years of age. Abram was nearly 100. Well past childbirth. But God had a special surprise up his sleeve, and Sarah would bear a son in one year.

I forgot the story… "No longer will be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father to many nations of you, kings will come from you. As for Sarai you wife; her name will be Sarah. I will bless her and will give you a son. Abraham fell facedown; and laughed and said to himself, will be a son be born to man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a son at the age of ninety." —Genesis 17:15-17

The Hebrew letter "h" is the letter symbolizes breath. The Hebrew people felt that writing or spelling the full name of YAHWEH was too scary, so they removed the vowels and only wrote YHWH. With spelling this special pronunciation becomes "yud" "hey", so one letter means breath and second letter means breath. Saying the name of God is like breathing life. It is so beautiful… he breathed new life into them so they could bear a son.

"No, Sarah, your wife, will be bear a son to you. And you will call his name Isaac. —Genesis 17:19

At least they knew what to name him… God said his name will be Isaac.

Abraham gave the name Isaac to the son Sarah bore him. —Genesis 21:3

Eventually Sarah got jealous of Hagar, and sent her and her son, Ishmael, away. When she sat in the desert, God heard her crying and said, "I will provide for Ishmael, and I will make a great nation out of Ishmael." —Genesis 21:15

Some time later God tested Abraham. God spoke to Abraham and said, "Abraham." And he replied, "Here I am." Then God said, "Take your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and take him the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there on the mountain as burnt offering."

Early the next morning he loaded up the wood for the sacrifice. But three days later, they arrived, and Isaac asked if there was a lamb to sacrifice. And Abraham said, "God will provide."

An angel of God called out to him, "Abraham, Abraham!" "Do not lay hand on your son. Now I know that you fear me. Because you didn't withhold your only son."

Abraham noticed a ram in the thicket caught by his horns. He went over to the ram and sacrificed it instead of his son.

What faith it must have taken to sacrifice your only son… and to believe God that he would provide a son from Sarah.

And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age because she had considered him faithful who had made this promise. By faith