Does God Have a Sense of Humor?

Recently, I saw series of Christian comedy sketches. They were interesting, thought-provoking, and down right funny. And they reminded me of the question that people have asked time and time again, “Does God have a sense of humor?” Here’s a sample of a classic skit by Bill Cosby about Noah…

Narrator: So Noah began to build the ark. Of course his neighbors were not too happy about it. Can you imagine leaving for the office at 7 AM and seeing an ark?
Neighbor: (enters whistling, with brief case) Hey! You over there.
Noah: What do you want?
Neighbor: What is this thing?
Noah: It's an ark.
Neighbor: Uh huh, well you want to get it out of my driveway? I've gotta get to work. Hey listen, what's this thing for anyway?
Noah: I can't tell you, ha ha ha.
Neighbor: Can't you even give me a little hint?
Noah: You want a hint?
Neighbor: Yes, please.
Noah: Well, how long can you tread water? Ha ha ha
(You can read the full text of this skit at www.skatedc.org/pipermail/skatedc/2003-May/005683.html)

Often when people say “Well, you know, God has a sense of humor,” it is usually regarding some irony. Biblically speaking, it was like the time when Sara found out that she was pregnant in her old age (Genesis 18:12). She laughed at the news—and who wouldn’t at the age of 90? But when the three visitors who brought the message from the Lord questioned Sarah about her laughter, she denied it. Did her denial indicate that her laughter was a sin?

Laughter is usually the last thing you would expect to find in a typical Sunday morning church service. Immediately, the traditionalists among us will say, “Salvation is no laughing matter!” or “Sin is serious!” Yet I have heard sermons that have been laced with humor and have been so effective that in the end, souls were saved. The saying goes, “Laughter is the best medicine.” How much more so for a soul sick with sin?

Some of the most effective ministries are those that allow people to laugh. And I’m not talking about the tight-lipped chuckle that people give when the pastor says something clever. I’m talking about good old, knee-slapping, out and out laughter. And the most amazing thing is that the membership of these ministries is often very diverse in terms of age, ethnicity, economic status, and more. Humor has a way of bringing people together.

After Sarah gave birth to her son Isaac (Genesis 21:6), she reaffirmed, “God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.” Sarah realized that her situation, as funny as it was, would still stand as an awesome testimony to the power of God and encourage others around her.

I’m going to remember that there is a time to laugh—and that laughter can be used to God’s glory!

How do you spell love?

I once heard a preacher ask, “How do you spell love?” Of course, almost in unison, the entire congregation replied, “L-O-V-E.” The preacher answered his own question with an unexpected response: “T-I-M-E.” He proceeded to explain that people usually spend most of their time on the things they love most.

This is football season. And there are people who eat football, sleep football, and dream football. They think and talk about football during the week and spend hours watching football games on the weekend. They spend much of their time centered around football because they love football.

As Christians, we profess to love Jesus. But how do we demonstrate that love for Him? Do we devote time to prayer? Do we serve God by volunteering our time to help others? Do we even take the time to read the Word? Does our love for Jesus show in the allocation of our time?

In John 21:15-17, Jesus asks Peter if he loves Him. When Peter says yes, Jesus gives Peter instruction on how he can spend his time showing his love. You’ve no doubt heard the expression, “Time is precious.” Spend it wisely and show the Lord how much you love Him.

I’m going to make a conscious effort to show my love through my time.

Dancing in the Rain

One of the best quotes I’ve heard recently was, “Life isn’t about learning how to survive the storm, but learning how to dance in the rain.” This reminds me of the power of perspective. And how important it is to make the best out of any situation.

Whenever I hear about a “storm,” I am reminded of the time when the disciples were out on the boat with Jesus and a storm began to rage around them (Luke 8:22-25). The storm was so bad, the disciples were in fear of drowning. In a panic, they woke Jesus from His sleep. Jesus rebuked the wind and waters and the storm subsided. The disciples were in awe of the power of Jesus.

Too often we view the storms of life with the wrong perspective. Our first natural reaction is one of fear or desperation. Even though we know Jesus will never leave us or forsake us, when the wind whips and the storm rages, we panic. But it is only when we call on the name of Jesus that we find peace.

When you come out of your storm, what do you have to show for it? Are you drenched in hurt feelings and resentment—or are you soaked in the joy of knowing that it was God’s grace and power that brought you through?

I may have to weather the storm, but I’m going to learn how to dance in the rain with Jesus.