Laughter - What's In It for Me?

“Sarah said, ‘God has brought me laughter, and everyone

who hears about this will laugh with me.’”

Genesis 21:6 (NIV)

As a nurse, I am here to tell you that laughter is good medicine. The idea is not new. It actually was God’s idea. It’s a part of His personality. In Psalms 2:4 we are told “The One enthroned in heaven laughs.”

Now in that particular Scripture God wasn’t laughing because the situation taking place was funny but He was laughing. We are made in His image so we can be very certain He created laughter as part of our personalities.

There are several accounts in the Bible of people laughing. When God revealed to Abraham that he was going to be a father and have a son, we are told in Genesis 17:17 that “Abraham fell facedown; he laughed and said to himself, ‘Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?’” 

Read on in Chapter 18:10 and 11: “Then the Lord said, ‘I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son.’” Scripture tells us that Sarah was listening to this conversation and could not contain her laughter as well.

Honestly, we can pretty much figure out why Abraham was laughing: he knew that Viagra hadn’t been invented yet. But I am quite certain that Sarah’s laugh bordered on hysteria. Bottles and diapers and up all night at 90 years of age? No way! Can I get a collective “AMEN,” Sisters?

But because the Lord is faithful, Sarah became pregnant as He had promised and gave birth to a son and named him Isaac, which means “he laughs.”

California’s Loma Linda University published research regarding laughter. The studies show that there are very positive effects on our immune system when we laugh.

They observed that laughter lowers blood pressure, reduces stress hormones, increases the ability of our muscles to flex and boosts immune function by raising levels of white blood cells which fight infection and disease in the body.

Laughter also triggers the release of endorphins (brain chemicals) which are the body’s natural painkillers. And if that weren’t enough, laughter produces a sense of well-being in our bodies. God absolutely knew what He was doing when he created laughter in us.

And, did you know that up to 80 muscles are used during a big laugh? A German professor found in his studies that a ONE MINUTE hearty laugh has the same health benefits as a 45 minute gym workout!! That’s because laughing provides a workout for the diaphragm and increases the body’s ability to use oxygen. (Stop and time a one minute belly laugh and your daily workout is done!)

So is laughter good medicine for us? Absolutely. Yes, there will be times in our lives, as it says in Proverbs 14:13, where “Even in laughter the heart may ache, and joy may end in grief.” But laughter can often put a whole new outlook on tough situations.

Think about events that have happened in your life that made you laugh out loud. How did you feel after you laughed? Sad? Discouraged? Angry? Resentful? Or did you feel like you just got an energy boost from the Lord?

I encourage you this week, whatever you may face, to remember that God’s gift of laughter is soothing and healing and it is indeed the very best kind of medicine there is.

Father, there are so many times when I am quick to become angry or frustrated or discouraged when I should take a breath and simply laugh. You created laughter for my benefit. Please help me to remember that every day. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

R.A.P. it up . . .

Reflect

• Make a list of every situation or disappointment or frustration that has come your way this last week.

• Could any of those situations have had a more positive outcome if you had simply stopped, taken a deep breath, and laughed at what was happening?

Application

• Memorize Psalm 126:2 this week and speak it whenever a situation occurs and you are tempted to react with anger.

• Stand in front of your mirror with a stop watch, think of something funny that has happened, and laugh for one minute. Workout complete!

Power Verses

• Genesis 21:6 (NIV) “Sarah said, ‘God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.’”

• Psalm 126:2 (NIV) “She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.”

• Psalm 2:4 (NIV) “The One enthroned in heaven laughs…”

My Hiding Place

“You are my hiding place; you will protect

me from trouble and surround me

with songs of deliverance.”

Psalm 32:7 (NIV)

 “Come find us, Grandma! Bet you can’t find us!” the voices giggled and then were immediately silent. I stood at the back door of my daughter’s house and looked around the yard.

Not in the playhouse. Not behind the shed. No one in the loft of the swing set. I scanned once more and then I saw it: a small chunk of dirt at the top of the huge dirt pile that my son-in-law had deposited by the fence was evidently knocked lose by an unseen force and tumbled to the ground.

I pulled back the green lid from the sandbox that had been pulled over the dirt pile to find a rather large hole and two dirty little faces grinning at me. “How do you like our hiding place?” they asked me together. “I love it!” I replied. “Tell me how you did it.”

 Ella and Jude explained that they had used two small buckets and a shovel to dig a hole wide enough for them both to fit in and then pulled the lid to their sandbox up the side of the “mountain” to cover the hole.

“You know why we did that? It’s ‘cause of that crazy dog that keeps coming around. We know we can hide in there and we are safe from that dog!” explained Ella. “And bad guys! Don’t forget the bad guys!” Jude chimed in. “They can’t find us in our hiding place!”

I love Psalm 32:7. The Lord is my hiding place. I know without a doubt that I am safe with Him and that He will protect me. He delivers me from “crazy dogs” and “bad guys” every single day of my life.

What is your hiding place? Where do you take refuge when the tough times slam into your life? Some will hide in their careers or their wealth; others will choose drugs, including alcohol. Still others will hide behind an outward appearance of indifference to whatever is going on around them.

These hiding places may seem to help for a while but they are just temporary and will only protect from the “dogs” and “bad guys” for a short time.

On the other hand, a permanent hiding place, with the Creator of the Universe, will provide a refuge for us to heal, receive His mercy, and be strengthened for what lies ahead.

Don Moen wrote a song based on Psalm 32:7 that begins this way: “You are my hiding place. I run to You. I need Your mercy and grace to see me through. So I run to You.”

Where is your hiding place?

Lord, I long to hide in you when everything around me seems to be falling apart. Thank You for keeping me in the shelter of your wings and covering me with your love. Today I truly run to you. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

R.A.P. it up . . .

Reflect

• When situations come up that are difficult, where or who do you turn to first?

• Is that refuge temporary or permanent?

Application

• Memorize Psalm 32:7 and sing it as praise to the Lord.

• Journal Scriptures that talk about the hiding place that the Lord has offered to you each and every day.

Power Verses

• Psalm 32:7 (NIV) “You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.”

• Psalm 31:19 (NIV) “How great is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you, which you bestow in the sight of men on those who take refuge in you.”

• Psalm 31:2 (NIV) “Turn your ear to me, come quickly to my rescue; be my rock of refuge, a strong fortress to save me.”

• Psalm 17:8 (NIV) “Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings.”

• Psalm 57:1 (NIV) “Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me, for in you my soul takes refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed.”

Did You Forget Me?

“But Zion said, ‘The Lord has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me.’

Can a mother forget the baby at her breast

and have no compassion on the child

she has borne? Though she may

forget, I will not forget you!”

Isaiah 49:14-15 (NIV)

“I’m late! I’m late!” I yelled at myself. All I could think of was my little boy getting off the school bus and me not being there to hug him and welcome him home!

I was chatting with the ladies at a local church after I had spoken at their meeting when I realized that I had stayed too long and was not going to be home to meet my son as he got off the bus. I always met him at the back door – except today.

I quickly buckled his sisters in their car seats and drove the speed limit (well, maybe a little over) in an attempt to get there before the school bus did. I failed.

My eyes filled with tears as I turned the corner at my home and saw my little boy sitting on the swing set, holding tightly to his lunch box as if he could somehow gain strength and courage from it. I jumped out of the car, pulled him into my arms and wiped the tears running down his face.

He looked up at me and only spoke four words: “Did you forget me?” but the way he whispered them – as if he was hurt beyond belief that I would ever do such a thing – broke my heart.

            “Did you forget me?” Have you asked God that question? You’ve been in a situation that has threatened to drown you day after day, month after month – maybe even year after year. And your heart wonders . . . just maybe.

Perhaps you’ve prayed for a prodigal child for years and he or she continues to run from a relationship with the Lord and with you. Or you listened to your doctor share with you that the cancer is back. Maybe it seems like the harder you pray the more distant your spouse seems to be. “Did you forget me, God?” your heart cries.

The Scripture in Isaiah 49:14-15 answers that question emphatically: “I will not forget you!” The Lord is encouraging His people who are going to be in captivity to remember that, no matter what, He has not forgotten them. God knows exactly where they are and what they are facing and, for the moment, He in His wisdom is allowing the situation to happen.

God also knows exactly what is going on in our lives, no matter what we are facing. And He hasn’t forgotten us either. Simply put, He says that a mother could never forget her newborn child and her love for its life. But, even if she did forget, He – God – will never forget us, His children.

Hold on to that promise today, knowing that no matter what storm you are in or crisis you are battling, the Lord is at your side. He has not forgotten you and He is faithful.  

Father, thank you for your reassurance in your word that you will never forget me and always stay by my side. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

R.A.P. it up . . .

Reflect

• Have you ever felt like God has forgotten about you and what is going on in your life?

Application

• Journal God’s promise from today’s Scripture: “I will not forget you!” During your prayer time each day, speak this truth to the Lord: “I KNOW you have not forgotten me. Give me strength and hope for this day.”

Power Verses

• Isaiah 49:14-15 (NIV) “But Zion said, “The Lord has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me.” Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you!”

• Hebrews 13:5 (NIV) “. . . God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’”

• Psalm 139: (NIV) “If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.”