The Laughter of God
When was the last time you enjoyed a good, long, tearful, belly-laugh? You know the kind that makes you afraid you might wet your pants. If you can’t remember then it has been too long.
Laughter is good medicine. The Bible proclaims it—Proverbs 17:22, Acheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. Researchaffirms it. There have been healing studies that show that people who watch comedieswhile recovering from cancer and other illnesses heal much faster than thosewho don’t have humor in their healing.
It makes me wonder, was God wanting to laugh with Sarah and turn her laughterof doubt into laughter of joy? Did she miss a spiritual experience that wouldhave strengthened her because she wasn’t emotionally honest with God? Doyou remember the story? God told Abraham that next year he would make Sarah pregnant—Abraham99 and Sarah 90. That is funny, isn’t it? It makes you laugh to think ofan old, gray-haired couple having a baby naturally. God heard Sarah’s secretlaughter when He told Abraham that she would bear a son the next summer. Sarahlied about her laughter. God insisted that she laughed even though she lied aboutit—Genesis 18:15.
Sarah’s secret laughter turned to open laughter by the next season. InGenesis 21:6 she said, God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hearsof this will laugh with me. I love that the foundation of our faith wasfilled with laughter. It reveals the intimacy God wants to have with us.
If you truly know God as He longs to be known by you, there will be times oflaughter with Him. You will laugh mostly at yourself and how you could have doubtedHim again after He has shown Himself faithful and merciful time after time. Youwill laugh at His mercy and laugh about his goodness. Laughter is good for thesoul, so you’ve got to believe that God is in laughter!
Thinking about this caused me to think about a book I read called The Laughterof God: At Ease With Prayer. The book taught about all the usual steps toprayer, the pain the poverty, the power. It also lived up to its name in explainingthat you cannot know someone who won’t share their emotions. When Sarahhid her laughter from God, she did not know Him. By the time she had her son,she was openly laughing with God and sharing that infectious laughter with allwho knew her.
The lesson from Sarah’s life is go ahead and laugh. Have the last laugh.Have the first laugh. Enjoy God. Enjoy His sense of humor. Find the laughterHe puts in each day and thank Him for laughter. Since we know heaven has no moretears, might we assume that it is full of laughter! |
