Sarah Laughed, Mary Assumed: Two Reactions to the Creative Word

Exploring the Law of Assumption through Two Biblical Women

In the Bible, Sarah and Mary are both promised the miraculous gift of a child. Yet, their reactions to this promise—and their places in the biblical narrative—offer us profound insights into the nature of belief, assumption, and manifestation.

Sarah’s story takes place early in the narrative, within the Old Testament, while Mary’s story represents the fulfilment of that divine promise in the New Testament. Through the teachings of Neville Goddard and the Law of Assumption, these two women become symbolic representations of two stages of spiritual development: the struggle with belief and the final surrender to assumption.

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Sarah: The Beginning of Faith and the Struggle with Assumption

In Genesis 18, when Sarah hears the divine promise that she will bear a son, she reacts by laughing—not out of joy, but from disbelief.

“And Sarah was laughing to herself, saying, Am I to have pleasure after my life is gone, old as my lord is?” (Genesis 18:12, BBE)

To Neville, Sarah represents a state of mind still entangled in the logic of the five senses. Her response is measured against the “facts” of her situation. Her womb is metaphorically “shut up,” unable to receive the new idea because her belief is shaped by experience, not imagination.

According to the Law of Assumption, Sarah’s laughter illustrates the internal resistance many face when hearing a divine promise. She reflects the early spiritual stage where we hear the call to create but filter it through memory, reason, and doubt. Though the promise has been spoken, it is not yet assumed—and so its fulfilment is delayed.

Still, Sarah does conceive. Even in the midst of resistance, the seed of faith has been planted. Her story shows that persistence of the promise can push through disbelief—but the process is slower and more turbulent when assumption is not fully embraced.

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Mary: The Fulfilment of Faith and the Power of Assumption

Mary’s story, unfolding in the New Testament, represents the matured state of assumption—the moment of immediate acceptance.

“And Mary said, I am the servant of the Lord; may it be to me as you say.” (Luke 1:38, BBE)

Unlike Sarah, who questions from within, Mary accepts the message without protest. She asks not if it will happen, but how. Once told, she surrenders. In Neville’s terms, she assumes the feeling of the wish fulfilled.

Mary stands as a symbol of the awakened imagination—the subconscious made pure and receptive. Her virginity is symbolic, not biological: it refers to a mind that has not been defiled by doubt or resistance. She is the archetype of spiritual maturity, in which the creative word is received without inner conflict.

Mary is not just another miraculous birth. She is the culmination of the promise first spoken to Sarah—the full manifestation of what was once only seed. The divine pattern is now embodied, not merely prophesied.

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The Journey from Sarah to Mary: Evolution of Consciousness

The contrast between Sarah and Mary reveals the process of spiritual development. Sarah's laughter reflects an early state of consciousness, still bound to the appearances of things. Mary’s assent reveals the evolved state that knows assumption is the law.

Neville taught that each biblical character represents a state within us. We begin as Sarah, doubting, logical, hesitant. But we are meant to evolve into Mary, the one who agrees with imagination and receives the word as already accomplished.

This is not just a narrative arc—it is your personal journey. Every time you entertain a new desire, every time you hear the whisper of something greater, you are choosing which state to embody: Sarah or Mary.

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Conclusion: The Power of Assumption

Your reaction to the promise—your assumption—determines what you will bring forth.

Will you laugh inwardly, as Sarah did, letting logic dismiss the desire of your heart? Or will you, like Mary, say:

“May it be to me as you say.” (Luke 1:38, BBE)

The Law of Assumption does not ask you to force the outcome. It asks you to accept it inwardly. Mary’s acceptance reveals the ultimate secret of manifestation: to dwell in the feeling of the fulfilled desire, regardless of outer appearances.

The promise is always the same—but your reception of it determines whether it delays or delivers.