Laughter

Abraham gave the name Isaac to the son Sarah bore him. Sarah said, “God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.” — Genesis 21:3, Genesis 21:6

Think about laughter you’ve heard in the past few days. Maybe unbridled laughter of joy, or a bitter laughter of heartache. Maybe warm laughter with a dear friend, a mocking laugh, or the you-either-laugh-or-cry kind of laugh.

Laughter can communicate a lot.

Abraham laughed at the thought of his having a child after a century on this planet (Genesis 17:17). Sarah also laughed; her childbearing years were ancient history (Genesis 18:12)!

Of course God wouldn’t appreciate their laughter of disbelief, but He undoubtedly joined in the laughter of rejoicing, of delight, and of awe as Abraham and Sarah celebrated the birth of their long-awaited son. Their joy at this precious baby, their gratitude for God’s faithfulness, and their amazement at his timing all bubbled over in laughter that couldn’t and shouldn’t have been contained.

Their mouths were filled with laughter because the Lord had done great things for them. And did you know that Isaac means “laughter; he laughs”?

Thank God for those occasions when His blessings have caused your joy to overflow in laughter.

Excerpted with permission from The Story Devotional. 

Enter into the epic story of God every day of the year! Guiding you chronologically through the biblical narrative, 365 readings include a key Scripture verse, brief reflection, and an application.