Joy of Laughter

“Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy.” Psalm 126:2 (NIV)

“The book fair is like chocolate, it doesn’t last forever. You either eat it or it melts,” my son Anthony told me.

I burst out in a laughter and said, “You are so funny.” My son knows I like chocolate, so comparing the book fair to chocolate was effective. His favorite time of the school year is the book fair. I was sitting on the front porch in my rocking chair when he returned from school. He knew how to twist my arm and what to say to get my attention. He offered to give me a foot massage in return for some money. He said, “The book fair isn’t here long, so I have to go at the beginning or all the good books will be gone!” I kept replaying his words in my mind and laughing. He started imitating my laughter. Our laughter got louder and his facial expressions became more dramatic in mocking me. The neighbors who live two doors down must have thought we were crazy, but hopefully we made them laugh.

There are times in my life that I need a good laugh. Life is hard on everyone, and our world has many negative images and words that we filter each day.

Psalm 126:1-3 says, “When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dreamed. Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, The Lord has done great things for them. The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.”

The phrase “filled with laughter” makes me imagine them laughing with their mouths wide open as their hearts rejoiced for what God had done for them. The people that heard their laughter exclaimed, “The Lord has done great things.” They must have wanted to join in on the laughter and the moment.

When you hear someone laugh, doesn’t it make you want to join in?

God wants to restore in us the type of joy we felt when we first trusted in Him. He designed us to praise and be joyful. The next time you hear someone laugh real loud, remember God loves the sound of His creation laughing.

Journal: Describe the last time you had a roll-on-the-floor laughing moment? What makes you laugh? What is your all-time favorite, funny story your family likes to tell? Tell about a time you had to laugh at yourself. 

Devotion taken from "The Joy Box Journal" by Hachette Book Group Copyright 2019 Adria Wilkins