Laughter and Lament: The Radical Freedom of Joy and Sorrowናሙና

The Surprising Laughter and Lament of God

How can we sense the presence of God? Waiting and watching in the silence is, of course, always appropriate, the Bible and prayer are a part of it, and the Christian “means of grace” in fellowship with God’s people are helpful, too. But did you ever think that sensing the presence of God happens when you laugh at a good joke or cry at a great loss?

The Bible is full of God’s sadness and gladness. For instance, in Genesis 6:6 and Psalm 78:40, God is “grieved.” And in Hosea 11:8, there is great pathos in God’s heart at the thought of giving up his people: “How can I give you up, O Ephraim? How can I hand you over, O Israel? . . . My heart recoils within me; my compassion grows warm and tender.” There is also laughter and joy everywhere too. Zephaniah 3:17 says, “The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.” And there are several passages in Jeremiah where God weeps (8:23; 9:9; 13:27, etc.).

God’s gift to his people is the freedom to be real, and there is great power in that. Not only is it a gift, it’s also a reflection of God himself. When it hurts deeply and the tears flow, the tears of God are mixed with yours. When you laugh at a good joke, dance at a fun party, and delight in a friend or someone you love, you can hear his laughter intermingled with yours. Do you know why the cross and the resurrection are so powerful, and at the very center of the Christian faith? It’s because the cross is the place of God’s greatest sadness, pathos, and tears. And when Jesus—a dead Messiah—got out of the grave, it became the place where God’s laughter spilled over onto a sad and broken world. The power of the cross (his and ours) and the joy of the resurrection (his and ours) is where we meet God in the most profound way. In the identification of God with us, and in our laughter and lament, there is incredible freedom. It is the freedom of authenticity.