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The psalmist writes, “Then our mouth was filled with laughter and our tongue with shouts of joy.” At first glance, those words may appear to be just some more happy, cheerful words from the Bible. As is so often the case with the words that we find in scripture, those words have a substance lying beneath their surface that the spiritually hungry find sumptuously satisfying.
The notion of a mouth filled with laughter or tongue filled with shouts of joy does not flow from the psalmist’s pen from memories of carefree days and tranquil nights. On the contrary, the psalmist who writes them and the people who first sing them remember the terror of devastation and destruction. When they sing these words, they remember the dark days of their exile in Babylon. They remember their nation torn apart and their lives destroyed. They remember thinking that nothing would ever be the same.
They were right in thinking that life would never be the same because it would not be. Anyone who has lived for more than a few years knows that changes come too quickly in our lives and make them different. Sometimes the difference is a good thing; but sometimes the difference leaves us grieving. The life we have built and the world as we know it is gone. We find ourselves thinking that nothing will ever be the same.
The Hebrew people had arrived at that point, lived through it, and emerged on the other side. Through it all, they were still able to hang on to the concept of laughter and the notion of joy. How did they do that? How do we do that? When we are overcome with the reality that nothing will ever be the same, how do we remember laughter? When life changes in a way that seems to push us beyond our ability to cope, how do we hold onto joy?
In part, I think the answer lies within us. When we remember times of hardship and challenge and the way God brought us through those times, we gain strength from those memories. In our own lives, we are able to see the truth of the Apostle Paul’s words that the one, “...who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
How do we hold onto the joy and laughter in the face of adversity and difficult circumstances? I believe another part of the answer lies with us together as brothers and sisters in Christ. What comfort and strength are ours when we find ourselves on the receiving end of the encouragement, love and kindness that the Body of Christ gives to us. When we face trials or when we are burdened with grief, we do not do so as people who have no hope. No — we believe that Jesus died and rose again. Therefore, we can and do encourage one another with our presence and with our words.
How do we keep laughter and joy near to us when life turns in directions that bring us pain and heartache? Sometimes we don’t. The tragedy is too great, and even our memories of how God has watched over us and taken care of us in times past are not enough to put laughter in our mouths or joy on our tongues. The best efforts of those who care for us cannot bring us to laughter, and joy is not to be found. In times like these, God remains with us. In the darkest of our nights, God does not leave us or forsake us. God is always there.
When we have decided that joy and laughter are beyond us, God is there. When we have concluded that laughter and joy will have no place in our lives, God is there. Sarah was too old to have a child. She had never had a child. She had surely decided that she would never have a child. Her giving birth to a child was beyond the realm of possibility. Finally, after all those years with no child, the Lord said to Abraham, “...Sarah, your wife, will have a child.”
Sarah laughed.
Joy and peace,
Ed
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