They say, “Laughter is the best medicine.” When was the last time you had a good laugh? I’ve had a little more time to think about this question, so I’ll share my answer.
Earlier in the week we had a little evening picnic with some friends and at times laughed our heads off. I don’t even remember what the laughter was about. It was just the cumulative effect of a lot of teasing and goofiness I think that led to laughter. It was a great medicine and tonic from the stressors of life.
On Monday evening I had tennis practice with my neighborhood tennis team. There were lots of good laughs during practice as we laughed at our errant shots, laughed at the “trash-talking” that boys do at times, or laughed at inane jokes told after practice was over. The time we had was “good medicine for all of us.”
Actually I had a lot of good laughs this week. I laughed during a channel surfing session at some of the jokes of Letterman and Leno. I laughed as I surfed and found a Professional-wrestling match. I laughed at all the fake hits and laughed to myself as I wondered why anyone would pay money to see big, bad actors like these toss each other around.
Laughter is indeed the best medicine for whatever ails you. But there are different kinds of laughter. A month ago we talked about Sarah’s laughter as God repeated His promise to give her a son in old age. That laughter was a cynical, mocking laughter. We can laugh “at”, not “with” other people when they make clumsy mistakes or look strange to us. We can laugh when we get away with some mischief. We can laugh when we’ve had too much to drink or have taken a “mood-altering” drug.
Laughter is the “best medicine”, but it depends. Some kinds of laughter are better than others. “Holy laughter” is the kind of laughter I want to reflect on with you this morning.
We just read of a woman’s joy that produced that kind of laughter. Sarah had the “last laugh” after a long pilgrimage that challenged and tested her faith in God. It was ‘holy laughter.” When is the last time you experienced this kind of laughter? This morning I want to share how this “holy laughter” came to Sarah and how it can come to us. The Bible teaches us that “the joy of the Lord” is our strength. If you feel weak maybe you need God’s holy tonic, the tonic of laughter that comes from the joy that only God can give.
If you look at the outline you’ll see 4 things create the best kind of laughter. First of all, the best laughter comes when God does something “God sized” in your life.
A “God-sized” event according to Rev. Blackaby is something that only God can do. Another word for it is “miracle.” When God promised to give Abram and Sarah a son at the ripe old age of 75 and 65, it was a pretty God-sized event. But to make sure that no one could ever doubt the “God-sized” nature of this birth, God waited nearly 30 years to fulfill the promise. After years and tears of frustration and disappointment, the promised son finally came. And Sarah laughed as she had never laughed before. She experienced joy, gratitude, and God’s grace at such a deep level that her natural reaction was laughter, and it was a holy laughter.
If you’ve been here for this summer series on the life of Abraham, you know that this wasn’t typical behavior for Sarah. It’s too bad that Sarah wasted nearly 30 years of her life in fear: doubting, scheming, and laughing with cynicism at God’s promise. If her faith in God were stronger, she could have enjoyed laughter even before her prayers were answered. Until it actually happened, Sarah did not believe in miracles or God-sized events like this one.
I fear that many Christians miss out on years of joy and holy laughter because they don’t believe in miracles. They think only special people get that kind of special treatment from God. They think they’re too unworthy to be granted any God-sized gifts. Or they doubt God really has the power to “pull it off.”
I don’t fit the classic definition of a “Pentecostal” preacher, but I do believe in miracles. I don’t write off all the miracles in the Bible as “special event” for a particular time and particular people. I have a colleague who’s dying of cancer, but I know that God can heal him, and I won’t stop praying for his healing. When I hear testimonies of miraculous healings or come across Benny Hinn crusades during channel surfing, I don’t assume it’s a hoax. It may be, but that’s not for me to judge.
The miracle working God of Bible times is the miracle working God of today. God is immutable. He doesn’t change. His miracle working power never stopped flowing after 100 ad. What stopped flowing was faith.
Never limit what God can do in your life. Don’t question his promises. Don’t doubt his unconditional love. Don’t doubt his immeasurable power to give us above and beyond what we hope and dream for in his Kingdom. Trust in God and you can experience holy laughter even before the miracle comes.
The best laughter comes when God does something or promises something “God-sized”. The best kind of laughter also comes when enemies or “the bad guy” is defeated. If you’re really into sports and you think a certain team or player is “dirty” or bad in some way, you get a big kick out of seeing them lose. I’ve heard some of you say how much joy you feel when Dennis Rodman loses. When the “enemy” was defeated in WW II there was laughter and dancing in the streets. When good triumphs over evil, a holy laughter can erupt in our hearts and voices.
Abraham and Sarah overcame many obstacles and enemies in their trust walk. Some of the enemies were temptations and trials outside of their control, some of the enemies were from within, as they struggled with their own doubts and fears.
Holy laughter can come when you quote Jesus responding to the lies of Satan and say “get behind me.” Holy laughter comes when God knocks down all the hurdles and guides you through all the detours as you pursue His will. Holy laughter will peak when the eternal dungeon is sealed and sin and temptation, selfishness and abuse will forever be a thing of the past. In God’s holy city there will be no fear or sadness, no enemies of goodness, but only joy and laughter. Holy laughter always accompanies victory over the enemies of God.
The best kind of laughter also comes as we learn to wait patiently on God’s promises. If God answered all our prayers within 5 minutes and fulfilled all his promises within days, we might not laugh quite as well as Sarah laughed. We might just take his gifts for granted and never learn the joy of patient waiting and complete trust. Holy laughter can come even in times of anticipation.
Illustration of patience in trial, anticipation. World series & final victory at game seven come at end of a long 162 game season. Part of the celebration joy comes from the long waiting period. If World Series was played just a week after the season began, it would provide so much joy. I had to wait three months after my proposal for my girlfriend to say yes. Part of the joy came from the patient waiting and anticipation.
We don’t know why, but God doesn’t answer all our prayers or miraculously solve all our dilemmas in an instant. We have to learn the joy of a blindfolded trust walk with God in this life, but never waver in our assurance that He is guiding us and hasn’t forgotten all his promises, promises not to harm us, but to bless us, and give us a hope and a future.
Finally, the best laughter comes in community. It’s much more fun to watch a comedy or go to a comedy club with a friend or group. Group laughter is the best medicine. Sarah said that “God has brought me laughter and everyone who hears this will laugh with me.” “God has done something God-sized in our lives and I can’t wait to tell my friends and celebrate together.
As you trust in God and walk with him, He will do miracles in your life, things that only He can do. It might be a miraculous healing or miraculous rescue from danger, or it might be “the peace that passes all understanding” or the joy of the assurance that you are loved by Him and will share eternity with Him.
Whenever you are ready to laugh the laugh or smile the smile that God brings to you, be sure to pass it on to a friend, your card club, prayer group, or tennis team. The best kind of laughter is meant to be shared.
Don’t get me wrong. “There is a time to laugh and a time to weep.” But God created us for joy and laughter, not pain and sorrow. As we wait expectantly to the day when all sadness will end eternally, God wants to prepare us for heaven by bringing joy and laughter to our lives. The spiritual journey is meant to be enjoyed, not just endured. When’s the last time you laughed a holy laugh or smiled a holy smile. I pray that each one of you will experience the joy of the Lord very soon and very frequently, as you trust God to do miracles in your life. Let us pray.
