“He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy.” (Job 8:21)
It’s been one of those days, one of those weeks, one of those months…It seems like many are facing challenges, wave-upon-wave-what I call “trench mode”-putting on the armor of God and relying on His strength to fight spiritual battles that have involved such intensity. If that’s you, I can relate…
Recently, I was at the beach for the first time in a while. My life had been experiencing a trying time of multiple symbolic waves that had been swirling around and slapping at me from several directions. After feeling a reprieve from one wave, another one would come in with such force and try to knock me off of my feet.
As I was standing in the actual water at the beach, my symbolic waves and actual real-life waves collided. I began to visualize what I had been experiencing symbolically as I fought the physical real-life waves.
While reflecting, the stability under my feet began to be shaken as the sand began to slide under my toes, and the current began pulling at my ability to keep my balance. I fought hard to stand back up without losing my footing…
When I made my way back to the shore, I was impacted by the illustration of the spiritual symbolism I had just experienced and the impact of my own personal trials that I had been enduring this past year. Some of you may also be fighting for solid footing as you feel the thrashing waves in your own personal lives.
Hold on to the ONE Who can hold you up and never let go. As you trust in Him, He can lighten your heart as He fights your battles.
There is warfare in LAUGHTER
As I stood on the shore after this experience, I began to laugh—one of those deep laughs that made me feel so much lighter inside. And, although the waves were still all around, my heart was cheered, and I felt such relief and joy. The Bible talks about this in Proverbs 17:22a: “A joyful heart does good like medicine…”
Laughing in the face of fear, discouragement, and weariness is such good medicine for the soul.
If you are facing obstacles or feeling the weight of your circumstances around you, don’t feel guilty about laying your burdens down and trusting God to carry them. And, letting out a really good laugh really helps too!
I felt so much elation and joy after the moment I had on the beach where I laughed and laid my burdens down in the midst of waves surrounding.
My prayer is that God would fill your hearts with joy, peace, and laughter, friends. Soak these two scriptures into your heart:
“Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.” (Luke 6:21b)
“Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, ‘The Lord has done great things for them.’” (Psalm 126:)
