Steadfast Love: Fill Me with Laughter

Psalm 126 & John 12:1-8

“Then our mouths were filled with laughter.” Psalm 126:2

Have you laughed this morning? Did you have a good laugh? Laughter is beneficial for our souls. It lifts our spirits and helps us forget the things in life that may be weighing us down. Since our minds can only focus on one thing at a time, why not choose to laugh?

Today, we’re going to talk about laughter. Laughter can be defined as a quick breath that produces a series of short vowel-like sounds, typically "ha-ha," "ho-ho," or "hee-hee." It consists of two main components: sound and action. When we laugh, various changes occur throughout multiple parts of the body, including the brain, organs, arms, legs, and muscles

I want to share a story with you this morning about an elderly couple. The wife gently said to her husband, “Do you remember when we used to sit together, and you would hold my hand?” The man reached over and held her hand. The wife sweetly smiled and said, ' Do you remember when you used to kiss me on the cheek? ' The man leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. The wife winked and said, ' Do you remember when you used to gently nibble on my ear? ' The husband stood up and started to walk away. The wife asked, 'Where are you going? 'The husband said, “To get my teeth.”

Laughter can be very healthy. Sometimes, laughter is born from sunshine, and sometimes it emerges from darkness. In today’s story, the Israelites understand what it means to experience laughter. The unexpected restoration of their lives after a long period of captivity in Babylon. “When the Lord restored our fortunes…then our mouth was filled with laughter.”

There was a time when the pastor, in his sermon, asked, “Have your heart and mouth filled with holy laughter?” One of the members responded, “Pastor, I have so much trouble!” Do you know that much of the sickness in our world stems from the fact that we lack the joy we should have? When we live uptight and on edge…, it causes headaches…, digestive problems, lack of energy, and inability to sleep. Much of this would go away if we would just learn how to laugh during stressful times of life. One of the greatest stress relievers God has given us is laughter. Proverbs 17:22 puts it this way, “A happy heart is like a good medicine, and a cheerful mind works healing.”

There is a healing power in laughter. God created laughter to boost the immune system. Laughter will reduce blood pressure. Laughter can help boost your digestive system and aid in weight loss. People who laugh a lot are less likely to have a heart attack than those who don’t laugh. Laughter is good for the soul. The merriest laugh I ever heard was in the sickroom of one of God’s dear children, because they knew that the greatest healing and the greatest life were still to come.

There was a 92-year-old man who wasn’t feeling well, so he went to see his doctor. A few days later, the doctor saw him out in the park with a beautiful young lady by his side. He seemed as happy as could be. " Wow, " said the doctor, " you sure seem to be feeling a lot better, aren’t you? Yes, replied the 92-year-old, “I am following your orders.” The doctor was confused and asked, “What orders? "You said, ' Get a hot mama and stay cheerful. '” The doctor responded, " I didn’t say that; I said, ' You gotta have a heart murmur. Be careful. '”

Laughter is like an instant vacation from troubles. A very fervent Baptist preacher and his wife decided to get a dog as a pet. However, the dog had to be solemn and somber, ever mindful that church members of the congregation needed to know that the dog was also a Baptist. They visited the registered kennel and explained their needs. Finally, the kennel owner called and said he had found the couple the perfect dog. He brought the dog to meet the pastor and his wife. "Fetch the Bible," he commanded. The dog went over to the bookshelf, scrutinized the books, located the Bible, and brought it to the owner. "Now find Psalm 23," he commanded. The dog dropped the Bible to the floor, and with his paws, he leafed through the pages until he found the passage and correctly pointed to it with his paw. The pastor and his wife were very impressed and purchased the dog.

That evening, a group of church members visited. The pastor and his wife wanted to show off the dog, so they had him locate the Bible. They had him turn to Psalm 23. The visitors were very impressed. One man asked, "Can he do any regular dog tricks, too?" The preacher said, "I haven’t tried that yet," and the pastor pointed his finger at the dog, saying, "Roll over." The dog rolled over. The pastor commanded, in his deepest, most sincere, and most solemn voice, said, "HEEL!" The dog immediately jumped on a chair, placed one paw on the church member's forehead, and began to howl. The pastor looked at his wife in shock and said, "Oh, Lord! The dog is Pentecostal."

Psalm 137 tells us about the precarious situation of the Israelites in their captivity in Babylon, which led to their weeping as they remembered the good days in Jerusalem. It was, therefore, not surprising when their fortunes were restored to them, and their mouths were filled with laughter. What really happened to the Children of Israel was...that they had lost their joy.

Do you need to find your Joy again? Christ said to his disciples in Luke 6:21, “Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.” I am glad to know that the heaven of the Bible is not a place of solemnity and dredge but of magnificent place of joy and laughter. It will be a place of pure joy among the saved. I say, yes; pure laughter, cheering laughter, holy laughter. It will be a laugh of congratulation. Yes, it will be a laugher of triumph. It will be a laughter of victory.

Finally, I heard about this 85-year-old woman. She went on a blind date with a 92-year-old man. She came home very frustrated, and her daughter said, "Mom, what's wrong?" She said, "I had to slap him three times." The daughter was surprised and said, "You mean he tried to make a move?" She said, "No. Three times I thought he was dead.

Please find time to laugh! Laughter is beneficial for us on our journeys of faith and life.