Something to Laugh About

"Is anything too hard for the Lord?" (Genesis 18:14)

 

"Genesis 18:14 is the Lord's response to Sarah's laughter. Sarah laughs when she overhears the Lord tell Abraham that she will have a baby boy in a year's time. She laughs because never before has she been able to become pregnant. She laughs because she is ninety ears old. She laughs because she is a worn-out woman who long ago gave up the dream of a baby of her own. She laughs because she has lived for years with the indignity and shame of being childless. She laughs because she is all out of tears..."

 

My husband wrote this brief devotion a while back on our Daily Grace church Blog. Do you ever long for days when you could laugh? About anything? Where you ached to hear that unique vocal cry you haven't heard in a very long time?

 

I watched the beginning of the movie The Bucket List the other night. A phrase wedged in my heart and settled my mind on one particular line the actor said while making his list: "To laugh until I cry." That was his wish.

 

I love that! How long has it been since you've laughed - and hard! Sarah laughed at the idea that she could conceive a child at her age. It seemed funny to her that God could perform such a miracle.  

 

I don’t laugh enough. There – I said it. I need to laugh more, about life, about my circumstances, about the strange and silly things that go on. We all need to laugh more. We have become a people where trials and daily struggles jerk our fun filled emotions out of us and we’re left to sit in a puddle of muddy milky feelings. Laughter has run away.

But God created our feelings – including laughter. Did He intend for us to hide the laughter? For it to completely disappear?  

Yes – Sarah laughed at herself, the thought of such a miracle, and the joy of it. Abraham laughed too.

After her baby was born Sarah said, “God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.” (Gen 21:6) In the midst of her situation - she laughed. It wasn't wrong for Sarah to laugh - only to lie about laughing.

Job says, “He (God) will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy.”

The Psalmist says, “Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy.”

And Psalm 2 tell us that even, “The One enthroned in heaven laughs.”

Where has your laughter gone? Let us find our glee. Let us pray and ask God to fill us with laughter. It’s time for our nation to hear something other than our desolate shrieks. May our voices radiate a beautiful and unique sound. A sound that tells us God is ever present. A sound that announces, “I’m okay!” A sound that says, “Everyone who hears about this will laugh with me!”

Sometimes we just need to remind ourselves to laugh.

It's okay - Laugh