Prayer – Lord, I know that I take life seriously—probably too seriously. Shine some of Your joy, hope, and laughter into me today—through Your word and let me hear You laugh with me. Laughter warms my heart and its good for me as well as those around me. Shine on me. Give me courage as I put my hope in You. As I read in Psalms… Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart, all you who hope in the LORD. Psalm 31:24 NKJV. A strong heart is a healthy heart—one that can laugh anytime…anywhere.
When you arise, O Lord, you will laugh at their silly
ideas as a person laughs at dreams in the morning. Then I realized that my
heart was bitter, and I was all torn up inside. I was so foolish and ignorant—I
must have seemed like a senseless animal to you. Yet I still belong to you; you
hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, leading me to a glorious
destiny. Whom have I in heaven but you? I desire you more than anything on
earth. My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the
strength of my heart; he is mine forever. Psalm 73:20-26 NLT
A glorious sunrise - God shining down on us!
Meditate. Can you hear God laughing?
Can you hear God laughing? God will laugh at some people—those
who are wicked and have silly ideas. They may seem prosperous—but they are not
to be envied. One of the Ten Commandments tells us not to covet or want what
belongs to others—that is envy.
"You shall not
covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his
male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything
that is your neighbor's." Exodus 20:17 NKJV
A sound heart is
life to the body, but envy is rottenness to the bones. Proverbs 14:30 NKJV
No one wants to be laughed at. It is much better to laugh
with someone…even if you are laughing at yourself. It makes sense that
if a person isn’t foolish, ignorant, or envious—but if they are pleasing to the
Lord, then if any laughter is involved, it with be “with” the Lord. As the
Psalmist, Asaph—a musician in King David’s court—wrote, God remains the
strength of my heart; he is mine forever. There can be a lot of strength in
laughter—in the ability to laugh at yourself and with others. It gives strength
to a relationship…and to a healthy heart. As the saying goes…laugh and the
world laughs with you, cry and you cry alone. Find some humor in your everyday
activities. I’m a bit of a serious person—so I have to surround myself with
those filled with joy. Like Sarah, Abraham’s wife, I think it is God who makes
me, my family and friends laugh. God has a sense of humor—look for it each day.
And Sarah said,
"God has made me laugh, and all who hear will laugh with me." Genesis
21:6
Keep smiling and laughing!
Verse of Salvation ~ But insofar as you are sharing
Christ's sufferings, keep on rejoicing, so that when His glory [filled with His
radiance and splendor] is revealed, you may rejoice with great joy. If you are
insulted and reviled for [bearing] the name of Christ, you are blessed [happy,
with life-joy and comfort in God's salvation regardless of your circumstances],
because the Spirit of glory and of God is resting on you [and indwelling you—He
whom they curse, you glorify]. 1 Peter 4:13-14 AMP
© 2024 Text, photos, and illustrations by Mickey M. Hunacek. All
rights reserved.
All scripture quoted from the New King James Version (NKJV) unless
otherwise noted.
New King James Version ©
1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Harper
Collins Publisher. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
New Living Translation (NLT) copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by
Tyndale House Foundation.
Used
by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188.
All rights reserved.
Scripture
quotations taken from the Amplified® Bible (AMP),
Copyright ©2015 by
The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. lockman.org
Biblical
search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm.
Books by Mickey M.
Hunacek
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