Monday, December 07, 2009
God as Laughter?
A few of us got together last night to hang out, worship, and pray. (By the way, thanks Pete and Tiffany for leading us.) It was a nice relaxed night. At one point, we put in Keiger's iPod and played, "Start a Fire," and "What Do I Know of Holy?"
I put my head back and began to chat with God. I was listening to the lyrics,
"What do I know of You
Who spoke me into motion?
Where have I even stood
But the shore along Your ocean?
Are You fire? Are You fury?
Are You sacred? Are You beautiful?
What do I know? What do I know of Holy?"
And I felt God say, "I am laughter."
I was taken aback for a moment. "Is it okay to speak of God as laughter? I don't think that is scriptural." "Laughter doesn't go with Holy!"
Then I began to hear the laughter. (It was more like the memory of the sound of laughter.) Now, there are all kinds of laughter. The giggle of those being silly. The dark laughter of those doing things they ought not. The knowing laughter of those joking around. This was none of those. It was a laughter that rang of freedom. There was no worry or stress in this sound. Somehow it seemed to carry love and goodwill.
The more I began to listen to the laughter, the more it seemed to fit God. It was the free chuckle of one who knows everything in the world and yet has joy. Joy. Yes, that is the best word to describe the laughter. Joy.
It reminds me of a sermon Jordan gave not too long ago, during the Nehemiah series. He mentioned that we so often misinterpret the phrase, "The joy of the Lord is my strength." We think that it is our joy in the the Lord that makes us strong. He presented the idea that it is indeed understanding that the Lord finds joy in us that gives us strength. It is not our joy, but rather "the joy of the Lord."
God as Laughter. Hhmmm . . . .
I put my head back and began to chat with God. I was listening to the lyrics,
"What do I know of You
Who spoke me into motion?
Where have I even stood
But the shore along Your ocean?
Are You fire? Are You fury?
Are You sacred? Are You beautiful?
What do I know? What do I know of Holy?"
And I felt God say, "I am laughter."
I was taken aback for a moment. "Is it okay to speak of God as laughter? I don't think that is scriptural." "Laughter doesn't go with Holy!"
Then I began to hear the laughter. (It was more like the memory of the sound of laughter.) Now, there are all kinds of laughter. The giggle of those being silly. The dark laughter of those doing things they ought not. The knowing laughter of those joking around. This was none of those. It was a laughter that rang of freedom. There was no worry or stress in this sound. Somehow it seemed to carry love and goodwill.
The more I began to listen to the laughter, the more it seemed to fit God. It was the free chuckle of one who knows everything in the world and yet has joy. Joy. Yes, that is the best word to describe the laughter. Joy.
It reminds me of a sermon Jordan gave not too long ago, during the Nehemiah series. He mentioned that we so often misinterpret the phrase, "The joy of the Lord is my strength." We think that it is our joy in the the Lord that makes us strong. He presented the idea that it is indeed understanding that the Lord finds joy in us that gives us strength. It is not our joy, but rather "the joy of the Lord."
God as Laughter. Hhmmm . . . .
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