“Jesus wept.” (John 11:35) The shortest verse in the Bible. Jesus wept when His friend Lazarus died and the Lord got to the tomb.

But of God laughing?

Other than three references to God laughing in Psalms:

1. Psalm 59:8 when David pens that God laughs at Saul’s men outside his house waiting for opportunity to kill him.

2. Psalm 37:13 where David again pens that God laughs at the plans of the wicked because He knows their day is coming.

3. Psalm 2:4 where again it reads that God laughs at the wicked.

 

That’s it, all I can find in scripture in reference to God laughing. In neither case do I think it refers to a laughter because God is truly amused, that He finds the events humorously funny, but that scoffing laughter one does at the reality of someone’s foolishness.

Yet, I am equally sure God laughs. With me alone as His daughter He must laugh at least once a day. God certainty isn’t against humor, as some believe. Proverbs 17:22 tells us that a cheerful heart is good medicine. ALL our emotions and feelings are part of our human design and like anger, we can use them to help us do things to change the world for the better or worse. One way we don’t sin, one way we do.

It would be wonderful, I think, if somewhere in the Scripture it read, “…and God laughed!”

• Maybe at the antics of the children Jesus rebuked the disciples for keeping from Him in Matthew 19:13-15.
• Maybe at something one of the disciples did sitting around a fire in the late night hours.
• Perhaps at some statement Sarah might have made about changing diapers and midnight feedings at her age.
• Or even at Abraham trying to keep up with a four-year-old Isaac in his older age when off with his son somewhere.

I am sure, as God moves in our lives, that He experiences what we do, He sees things from our perspective and He works all things together for our good. (Romans 8:28) So He must laugh at some of the things we do as we laugh at our own children and the things they say and do in innocence.

Like I’m sure right now God is chuckling at me as I’m writing this huddled beneath the covers with my back and right arm and shoulder freezing when I could turn the ceiling fan off and write in comfort. God is surely laughing at me and shaking His head at my illogical actions!

What do you do in your life that God must laugh at? Dance with your daughter to the Sesame Street theme song? Plot with your son to surprise his mother? Your singing in the shower? Talk to yourself out loud and answer your own questions?

God must laugh. I think we must too. Although it certainly has an appropriate time to be done it must still be a freeing and honest part of our emotional, physical and spiritual lives. After all, laughter is good for the soul.

Go laugh today!

–Faye