Craig Clouston

 Laughter-Filled Prayer

A cheerful heart is good medicine.

Proverbs 17:22

This group was a sampling of the community: pastors and their wives, church members from several different denominations, laymen and women alike. And everyone was welcome.

This group believed that corporate prayer with likeminded people was more important to their community than their inconsequential doctrinal differences. A testament to their commitment was that they had been meeting together for over eight years.

But there was something even more compelling at work that drew them together each Tuesday at noon; they loved each other with the love of the Father, and they laughed a lot, and not just the occasional chuckle or smile. These people knew how to laugh together. They had grown to love each other so deeply that it showed in the way they picked on one another. No one was exempt from spending time in the hot seat. And none of them seemed to mind.

They had learned to share their lives, the victories and defeats. This was a close-knit group. And the more they laughed, the more they loved. The more they loved, the closer they got. They spent time praising the Lord and lifting the needs of the community before the throne. They were dead serious when it came to what they felt God had called them to. But they were never far from the laughter.

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It’s not a sin to laugh, even during prayer. Today’s text directs us to have a cheerful heart. It’s hard to imagine being any cheerier than when we’re laughing. God loves to hear us laugh. He is not affronted by, nor does He disapprove of, laughter-filled prayer.

When we come before the throne, we are to come in reverence. My dictionary defines reverence this way: “A feeling of awe and respect and often of love.” None of the three are out of line with laughter. When we laugh with our friends, it’s not an act of irreverence; it’s sharing our joy.

God wants to be our closest friend. Prayer is spending quality time with Someone we love. And although there are times to be somber as we approach His throne, God wants to share our laughter too.

Prayer

“Lord, You are the author of laughter. May you find me willing to share mine with you. Amen.”