Laughter – the best way

Don’t you love getting together with some good friends and swapping stories that make you laugh out loud? I love when my family hangs out and starts remembering those dumb choices, the silly kid tricks, and telling “Dad” stories, a rich source of humor.  Laughing with others is a great pleasure.  But, if you have been made a fool, becoming the object of ridicule, the laughter isn’t fun. It hurts!

God loves laughter. One of the myths of spirituality is that it demands a serious, humorless personality.  One of the evidences of the Spirit in us is JOY. One of God’s gifts is the ability to overcome the sorrows of life with hope that leads to renewed joy much as the dawn following the night’s darkness.  "You satisfy me more than the richest feast. I will praise you with songs of joy. I lie awake thinking of you, meditating on you through the night. Because you are my helper, I sing for joy in the shadow of your wings." (Psalm 63:5-7, NLT) 

On this Monday morning, take a moment to recover joy.  Make the decision that you will not start this week from a place of defeat or despair. Begin to praise Him, for Who He is. Hand off the concerns that weigh you down. Take joy! Let it find you in a song, touch you from the depths as you recall a moment of God’s faithfulness, surprise you from an unexpected place. Laugh with God!

Ah, beware the hollow laughter that is too often found about the pseudo-sophisticates who love to snidely poke fun at those they consider ‘less’ or inferior.  Refuse to let the laughter of the cynic to own your heart, that laughs at others instead of with them.

In Genesis, God came to Abraham and Sarah with a promise that seems like a joke. In advanced age, He said, “A year from now you will be enjoying a baby boy!” Sarah was a woman far beyond child-bearing years.  She had given up all hope of having a child.  As the visitors sat with her husband at the entry to their tent home, she listened in to a conversation that sounded absurd. “Then one of them said, “I will return to you about this time next year, and your wife, Sarah, will have a son!” Sarah was listening to this conversation from the tent. Abraham and Sarah were both very old by this time, and Sarah was long past the age of having children. So she laughed silently to herself and said, “How could a worn-out woman like me enjoy such pleasure, especially when my master—my husband—is also so old?” Then the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh? Why did she say, ‘Can an old woman like me have a baby?’ Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return about this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.” (Genesis 18:10-14, NLT)  Can you blame her for laughing?  But her laughter was not born of delighted faith. It was an expression of disbelief.  She laughed at God, instead of with Him.

But, God was faithful to His word in spite of her.  Later, she had opportunity to laugh with God!  "She became pregnant, and she gave birth to a son for Abraham in his old age. This happened at just the time God had said it would. And Abraham named their son Isaac. Eight days after Isaac was born, Abraham circumcised him as God had commanded. Abraham was 100 years old when Isaac was born. And Sarah declared, “God has brought me laughter. All who hear about this will laugh with me. Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse a baby? Yet I have given Abraham a son in his old age!” (Genesis 21:1-7, NLT)  Yes, she named her son Isaac which means ‘He laughs.’

Do feel the stirring of the Spirit, the outlines of a promise taking shape in you? How will you respond? 
Will you laugh at God, dismissing His inspiration as something other than what it is?
Or, will you laugh with Him, celebrating His work in your, even in apparently impossible situations?

The word from the Word is from Paul’s letter of joy, written from prison. He refused to let his situation define his response, choosing joy.  He says, "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:4-7, NIV)   Amen.

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Joyful Joyful We Adore Thee (Ode To Joy)

(Michael W. Smith does this hymn well.
Be joyful with him)

Joyful joyful we adore Thee

God of glory Lord of love

Hearts unfold like flow’rs before Thee

Opening to the sun above

Melt the clouds of sin and sadness

Drive the dark of doubt away

Giver of immortal gladness

Fill us with the light of day

All Thy works with joy surround Thee

Earth and heav’n reflect Thy rays

Stars and angels sing around Thee

Center of unbroken praise

Field and forest vale and mountain

Flowery meadow flashing sea

Chanting bird and flowing fountain

Call us to rejoice in Thee

Thou art giving and forgiving

Ever blessing ever blest

Wellspring of the joy of living

Ocean depth of happy rest

Thou our Father Christ our Brother

All who live in love are Thine

Teach us how to love each other

Lift us to the joy divine

Mortals join the mighty chorus

Which the morning stars began

Father love is reigning o'er us

Brother love binds man to man

Ever singing march we onward

Victors in the midst of strife

Joyful music lifts us sunward

In the triumph song of life

Edward Hodges | Henry Van Dyke

Public Domain

A New Name?

In Biblical times, your name was about you, your parent’s hopes for you, where you were born. It was more than a collection of letters that appeared on your drivers license. Sometimes your name changed when God revealed a new calling to you. Such is the story of Genesis 17.  Abram, which meant ‘exalted father,’ had an encounter with the Lord in which God declared that He had plans for him.

"When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty; walk before me and be blameless. I will confirm my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers.” Abram fell facedown, and God said to him, “As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations." (Genesis 17:1-4, NIV)  And God changed his name that day. "No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations." (Genesis 17:5, NIV)  Abraham means ‘father of many.’

There is so much inspiration in this chapter.  Abe was 99 and God still had plans for him! Those plans appeared to nothing but empty words to those who saw things with natural eyes. The only heir Abe had at that point was Hagar’s son, who was not to be the son of promise.  It might have seemed almost cruel to give the old man a new name that seemed ludicrous. Imagine introducing yourself to others, “Hi, I’m Father Of Many”  knowing that you have no son with your wife. But, Abraham believed God!

The Lord went on to tell him to change his wife’s name, too. She was 90 and still going by Sarai, which meant ‘princess.’  Now she was to be called Sarah, meaning ‘noblewoman’ because she was going to bear a son for the old man. Yes, you read that right.  99 and 90 and a child was in the future. They struggled to understand it, too! "Abraham fell flat on his face. And then he laughed, thinking, “Can a hundred-year-old man father a son? And can Sarah, at ninety years, have a baby?” Recovering, Abraham said to God, “Oh, keep Ishmael alive and well before you!” But God said, “That’s not what I mean. Your wife, Sarah, will have a baby, a son. Name him Isaac (Laughter). I’ll establish my covenant with him and his descendants, a covenant that lasts forever." (Genesis 17:17-19, The Message)

I read that chapter this morning with a mix of emotion. I laughed, too, at the absurdity of it all, but my laughter changed to deep hope as I realized that God is never finished with us. Parts of me feel my years and temptation comes to slow down and coast towards the exit!  “Give it up, Jerry. Let somebody else do it.”  But, God whispers of further plans, different perhaps than I would have anticipated, but of His ongoing desire to make me useful in a world I find increasingly hard to understand, in a time when I often feel like an anachronism.

Are you facing some hard decision?
Does it seem that much of what you had hoped for has slipped through your grasp?

Perhaps you can only remember some terrible failure and feel defined by that choice made in the past?

Are you letting words of a parent, a former spouse, or someone else name you and define you?

The grace and mercy of God is about renewal and new names! He owns history and is never finished writing ours until that moment when we step from mortal to immortality. Listen for His voice. Ask for greater faith to live as He desires, refusing to let ‘the obvious’ determine your identity.

Meditate on this word from the Word. It is from a passage in the Scripture that fills me with faith every time I read it. May He do the same in your heart today.

"May (you)  have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." (Ephesians 3:18-21, NIV)

“Immeasurably more!”  That’s not just poetry, that is His proclamation.

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A New Name In Glory

(A old Gospel song.

Forget yourself and sing along)

I was once a sinner but I came

Pardon to receive from my Lord

This was freely given and I found

That He always kept His word

There's a new name

Written down in glory

And it's mine

O yes it's mine

And the white-robed

Angels sing the story

A sinner has come home

For there's a new name

Written down in glory

And it's mine

O yes it's mine

With my sins forgiven

I am bound for heaven

Nevermore to roam

I was humbly kneeling at the cross

Fearing naught but God's angry frown

When the heavens opened and I saw

That my name was written down

In the Book 'tis written

Saved by grace

O the joy that came to my soul

Now I am forgiven and I know

By the blood I am made whole

Charles Austin Miles

© Words: Public Domain

Known and Loved!

Ever feel invisible, unseen, unknown?  Sometimes we feel like a gear in a vast machine, valued only for what we do, not who we are. When someone takes time to actually listen, remembers our name – it can make us cry!  We push through life, driven by responsibilities and we can forget that person alongside of us might be struggling to hang on through grief, or feeling lost and overwhelmed. Perhaps you feel as if you are sliding out of view because of aging, illness, or disability, and nobody seems to really see you, to care if you’re there, to engage with you. You want to scream, “Hey. I count. See me!”

There is One who does. His name is “El Roi, The God who sees.”

In Genesis 16 we are told the story of a person who became invisible, used, then tossed aside. Her name? Hagar. She was a slave who served Sarah, Abraham’s wife. The couple was childless and desperate, so they decided to ‘help God’ fulfill His promise of an heir. As was the custom of the time, Sarah used Hagar as a surrogate, giving her to her husband in the hope that she would become pregnant, which she did. The younger woman, having produced a male son for the patriarch, felt her status improved but Sarah felt only jealousy and responded with cruel abuse. She went to her husband and demanded that the woman be thrown out, leaving her to a life of misery as she tried to survive. The servant girl was disposable, an inconvenient reminder of faithlessness. The Bible says, “Abram replied, "Since she is your servant, you may deal with her as you see fit." So Sarai treated her harshly, and Hagar ran away. The angel of the Lord found Hagar beside a desert spring along the road to Shur... Thereafter, Hagar referred to the Lord, who had spoken to her, as "the God who sees me, (El Roi) for she said, "I have seen the One who sees me!" - Genesis 16:7,13 NLT

"The God who sees me!"  Do you know that HE knows YOU? Yes, He does. He sees right into your most secret places. He knows your dreams, your hopes, your sins, your past, and your future. He loves YOU, not just for what you can do for Him, but because you exist.

In our kid’s ministry we sing a song that says -
“You don't have to be the fastest, strongest;
you don't have to hold your breath the longest.

You don't have to be a star, it doesn't matter who you are!

Raise your hands and repeat after me,
“You can trust God definitely, you can trust God definitely.”

  

And it is a truth that will alter your life. The Gospels are not written about Jesus in palaces, speaking with kings. He lived among the common, the broken, the cast-offs – with genuine love. He knows your name, your heart, your need. Let Him love you. Then, let that love spill over onto those who are invisible, a deep concern for people regardless of their usefulness or ‘value’ in your plans.

Our God is truly El Roi, the God who sees. "The eyes of the Lord are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good." (Proverbs 15:3, NIV)

Here’s a comforting word from the Word. May it bring comfort to you today as you deepen your faith in ‘the God who sees.’

"O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord. … even in darkness I cannot hide from you. To you the night shines as bright as day. Darkness and light are the same to you. … "Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life."  (Psalm 139:1-4, 12, 24, NLT)

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You, You, You
(rejoice with the children’s song!)

You, You, You,

You can trust God

You can take him at his word

and give him your heart

You, You, You,

You can trust God

it doesn't matter who you are

You can trust God

You don't have to be the fastest, strongest

you don't have to hold your breath the longest

You don't have to be a star

it doesn't matter who you are

Raise your hands and repeat after me

You can trust God definitely

You, You, You,

You can trust God

You can take him at His word

and give Him your heart

You, You, You,

You can trust God

it doesn't matter who you are

You can trust God

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