Spontaneous Laughter

The Holy Spirit interrupted me this morning when I woke up. It was so clear - almost like He was physically next to me. "Do not touch your phone." I didn't move a muscle. I usually have this habit of opening up my phone when I wake up in the morning but this was different. After that, I immediately sensed that I needed to open up Scripture. As I grabbed the bible, I immediately went to two passages: Proverbs 8:30-31 & Ephesians 2:10 and it was like I read them for the first time in my life.

It is amazing what translations can do when you receive a fresh word from God. "Everyday I was His delightful companion, celebrating every minute in His presence" (Proverbs 8:30, VOICE). Wow! Celebrating every minute in His presence is our life with Jesus. The Hebrew word for "rejoicing" can also be translated "joyfully playing" or "laughing." I looked up the definition of laughter and according to the Oxford dictionary it means: "to make spontaneous sounds and movements of the face and body that are the instinctive expressions of lively amusement." I am blown away by the first part of the definition: "To make spontaneous sounds and movements of the face and body." Notice the words "spontaneous" and the word "face." The word for "presence" in Hebrew is actually "face." To laugh is to spontaneously enter into a fellowship with the Lord that radiates your presence! Our worship flows from a heart of laughter! Laughing in the presence of Jesus is one of the ways the Spirit transforms you from the inside out. No wonder laughter is contagious - it moves you deeper into the heart of our King!

Paul actually commands the church to worship spontaneously. "And your hearts will overflow with a joyful song to the Lord Jehovah. Keep speaking to each other with words of Scripture, singing the Psalms with praises and spontaneous songs given by the Spirit" (Ephesians 5:19, TPT). Is it possible that our worship should flow from a heart of laughter? There is so much power when we rejoice. I find it funny that the word "rejocing" is connected with the verb "laughing" because I laugh ALL THE TIME. I literally laugh at anything and everything and I do not know why (other than loving Jesus of course). If anyone knows me well and has been around me - I laugh at the slightest joke. Do not get me wrong - I can go from laughing to being serious in a heart beat but most of my days are spent laughing for almost no reason. When you have a real encounter with Jesus - your whole countanence changes. There is something about being around the presence that will leave you hungry for more. This leads me to the question - how much does Jesus laugh? Do we even consider taking time to discover the answer to this question as a body of believers? Scripture actually confirms that for us. Here is a famous verse that everyone seems to know: "Be cheerful in with joyous celebration in every season of life. Let joy overflow, for you are united with the Anointed One" (Philippians 4:4, TPT)! Notice the word "overflow" and the power behind the purpose for rejoicing. Since the term "rejoice" in Hebrew means "laughing" and how most translations render the phrase "always" - it is entirely possible to say that not only does Jesus laugh all the time - His laughter overflows like a mighty river that never stops flowing. It is spontaneous in everyway. His laughs are endless, even when you do not feel Him near you. It is one of His greatest invitations for relationship. It breaks my heart when the church does not emphasize laughing in the Spirit. The entire point for laughing is to live consciously aware of His presence. He laughs all the time because He is captivated by your beauty and wild spirit. He invites His sons and daughters to laugh constantly before His face because you are joined as one with Him.

We see a beautiful picture of the presence of Christ. The Messiah is "so happy with what he had made" - captivated by the poetry that voiced His masterpiece and handcrafted our bodies with the work of His hands by sculpting humanity from clay. The poetry of our lives is to celebrate in His presence everyday - laughing, dancing, singing, and participating with Him on adventures that will create memories for a lifetime. Bondages break with the sound of spontaneous joy. Fear is destroyed and violently cast down when we burst out in laughter all because of His love for us and our love for Him. "We have become his poetry, a re-created people that will fulfill the destiny he has given each of us, for we are joined to Jesus, the Anointed One. Even before we were born, God planned in advance our destiny and the good works we would do to fulfill it" (Ephesians 2:10, TPT). The Holy Spirit showed me something that I never thought of before. In my heart I heard: "You will experience the plans I have for you when you playfully dance in My delight for you." Wow! Absolutely amazing. We are a "re-created people" designed in Christ to joyfully dance in His delight over us. Our good works to fulfill the destiny He has for us is only accomplished when we live in the movements of His face day to day.