“You have as much laughter as you have faith.” - Martin Luther
I suspect that “Lord, help!” praying is more common than “Lord, You make me laugh!” praying. That is understandable when we take our needs to Him, but what about when we take our joys to Him?
The Merriam-Webster dictionary describes laughing as finding “amusement or pleasure in something.”
The Bible is filled with amusement and humor. It doesn’t take much digging to see that pleasure abounds in the pages of the Bible, causing laughter to burst forth.
When we praise Him for His wondrous deeds and in deep gratitude for His care for us, how can we help but laugh with delight?
Remember Sarah? She gave birth to Isaac when she was around 90 years old. That brings forth a head-shaking smile just thinking about it! Look what she says: “God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh over me” (Genesis 21:6).
Not only did Sarah laugh, it was contagious. The joy of her blessing from God was truly worthy of a big belly laugh! (Think about that a minute: pregnant Sarah…big belly laugh. Sorry, I couldn’t resist!)
The psalmist reacts to God’s provision that was so good it seemed like a dream:
When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,
we were like those who dream.
Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
and our tongue with shouts of joy;
then they said among the nations,
“The Lord has done great things for them.”
The Lord has done great things for us;
we are glad.
Psalm 126:1-3
Add to those dozens of references to people dancing, shouting, feasting, and celebrating, and it is obvious that our lives and prayers need to reflect that joy and laughter back to God. When we praise Him for His wondrous deeds and in deep gratitude for His care for us, how can we help but laugh with delight?
Give it a try this week. In your joyous thankfulness for His care, comfort, and provision, laugh with delight in your praise and prayer to Him. Laugh with Him. He delights in you.
Chris is a graduate of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Deerfield, IL (M.Div.) and has served as a pastor in churches in the Midwest. Chris and his wife Marty have been married for nearly 40 years. Chris currently teaches the Fundamentals of the Faith class and serves in the Prayer Ministry here at Faith Bible Church.
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