The NIV 365 Day Devotional

A Time to Laugh

The psalmist declares that God himself sits in the heavens and laughs (Ps 2:4), and the writer of Proverbs describes the “woman of strength” as one who can “laugh at” times to come (Pr 31:25). Life can become taxing at times, and moments come when we desperately need a change. Laughter is one way the Creator gave us to switch gears and punctuate monotony with joy. Humor is an exit from the mundane “road of life.” Laughter is a simple yet reasonable prescription for some of life’s ills and most of its tedium (Pr 17:22). Physicians have assigned healing properties to humor, especially in cases of mental illness, such as depression. Certainly humor defuses tension and helps put one at ease.

With so much tragedy in life, choosing humor instead of despair is good Scriptural advice. Humor generally involves an acceptance of the ups and downs of life and the determination not to take ourselves too seriously. To combat stress, to relieve tension and even to provide delightful diversion in the midst of trials and sufferings, laughter and a keen sense of humor may prove to be precious possessions.

Jesus himself was unpredictable and witty and full of life in his responses. He used irony, word play and hyperbole to get across his messages (see Mt 22:15–22, in which Jesus cleverly eludes the trap of the Pharisees and unmasks their hypocrisy). Jesus asks a Pharisee for a coin with an image of Caesar and an inscription proclaiming Caesar to be god, knowing that to carry such a coin was breaking two commandments (Ex 20:3–4).

At the end of life’s road, we may all end up in the same place, but because of laughter along the way, some will have enjoyed the journey and arrived more refreshed.

Taken from The NIV Woman’s Study Bible.