He Laughs…. When God told Abraham and Sarah to name their baby, He told them to call him…. He laughs. That is what the name Isaac means. Isaac = He laughs. Keep that in mind, we will come back to it later.
What does it mean that God is All Powerful AND All Wise?
1.) All Wise
That God is all wise is…. well, Awesome! Only God is all wise. Imagine a moment of infinite wisdom. You and I….. We are limited. Uh…. very limited when it comes to wisdom. We need outside factors that allows us to gather information which then allows us to make our decisions based on our best attempt at wisdom.
But God IS wisdom. He needs no outside factors. He has all He needs within Himself. And because of this, He is all wise. Every time…. He makes the perfect wise decision. Why? Because He has all the information, all the data, within Himself, to make the perfect wise choice…. EVERY time!
Dream with me a moment. Imagine having all the information for just ONE decision in your life! (I know, it is hard – I mean impossible – to imagine right?) But, wouldn’t that be amazing? Just ONE decision. If you are single…who to marry. How about that career path, stocks, a move across the country, or a risky investment strategy? Imagine you have ALL wisdom for that one decision. Wouldn’t that be nice!? Just this once!
Well, that is God – in EVERY decision. He is All wise!
Not only is He all wise He is:
2.) All Powerful
What is wisdom if there is not power to accomplish what is wise? Here is what is amazing about God. Not only is He all wise, but He is all powerful! Ok, so let’s keep imagining.
You are in that moment of perfect wisdom to make that perfect decision. Let’s say it is that investment strategy. You have perfect wisdom to invest in the Apple corp back in the day! Perfect wisdom because you have all the facts (past, present, future facts. It is 1990 and you know about the coming iPhone and ieverything craziness!). But, you have NO MONEY to invest! You don’t have power / ability. How frustrating is that?!?!?
Here is what is amazing about God – not only is He all wise but He is all powerful. Not only does He have all the data to make the perfect wise decision, but He also has all the power needed to accomplish what is wise! Are you kidding me? That is AWESOME!
Ok, lets put the two together.
If God was all wise and yet not all powerful? He would be wise without ability! This would be sad and frustrating to serve this God who was wise and yet impotent in power. Frustrating to say the least! How much faith could you put in your God?
If God was all powerful and yet not all wise? He would be powerful without wisdom! This would be terrifying to serve this God who was powerful and yet did not have the wisdom to rightly apply His power. Scary and frustrating comes to mind in putting faith if this was your God.
But God is both wise and powerful! He is ALL wise and ALL powerful!
And so……He laughs
Abraham and Sarah learned about the wisdom and power of God late in life. They were both old in age and that son that God had promised? Well….. nothing yet! Sarah began to doubt God. (Ever been there?) Her doubts were actually questions about God’s wisdom and power.
Genesis 18:13-14 “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.”
Sarah laughed at this possibility. And when she did she was laughing at the character of God. She was laughing about God’s wisdom and God’s power / ability. Oops!
I find it amusing then that God tells our aging couple to name their son Isaac = He laughs. I guess it was God who gets the last laugh!
How does knowing God is all wise and all powerful affect:
- Your faith?
- Prayer life?
- Pursuit of the Lord?
- Our Humility?
- Worship?
What are you facing today that is so bleak that you are tempted to laugh when considering God moving in your circumstance.
Jeremiah 32:17 Ah, Lord God! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you.
And yet, God says, through James, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”
Indeed! This verse should be the natural effect of these truths – God is all wise and God is all powerful. And, because he is – the James scripture is all the more encouraging. It should embolden our faith to do the very thing James is saying to do.