Does God Laughs? - Make Some Plans

Does God Laughs? – Make Some Plans

Have you ever wondered whether God laughs?  The Old Testament vividly and meticulously depicts his wrath.  The Psalter and Prophets constantly appeal to Almighty God to relinquish His righteous anger and spare His chosen people though they rightly deserve His punishment.  What about His sense of humor?  One of my college classmates raised this question during dinner in the dining hall.  Imagine the Lord and Creator of the universe as well as the Maker of heaven and Earth sitting on His throne and laughing.  What would make Him laugh?

Given certain natural phenomena such as the crash landing of a sea gull without being hurt, we deduce that God has a sense of humor.  Biblically speaking, these stories, the Tower of Babel, the prophets of Baal who oppose Elijah on Mt. Carmel, King Nebuchadnezzar’s surprise at God’s deliverance of the three Hebrew boys, King Saul’s schemes to maintain rule over Israel after God rejects him, Mephibosheth’s plot to take the kingdom from King David, Saul who becomes Paul’s individual campaign to eradicate the burgeoning early Church, and the duplicity of Ananias and Sapphira in lying to Peter, probably make God laugh.  Moreover, the second Psalm reveals schemes and shenanigans of the powerful people cause God to laugh.  Any attempts to undermine or ignore God’s authority make Him laugh.

There is a saying, “If you want to make God laugh, make plans.”  On a personal level, we make God laugh every day.  When, we, finite creatures that we are, make elaborate plans and go to God for His acquiescence rather than His approval, God laughs uproariously.  As a parent, you may recall times when you laugh as your children approached you with the “perfect” plan which was not well thought out and in need of your financing.  Similarly, God laughs when we come to Him pretending we have our lives under control but need His orchestration of difficult details.  Does God laugh?  You bet He does!

The opening verses of the second psalm illustrate the designs of the kings of the Earth.  Why do the nations conspire?  What leads people to plot in vain?  The rulers of the Earth collaborate to preserve their wealth and position.  The top “one percent” of wealthy persons control ninety percent of the world money and resources over the globe ignore God and His Anointed One.  They have no need of Him.  Religion is a means of social control lest the masses awaken from their slumber and realize their economic oppression.  Multinational corporations and other economic and military entities strategize within global affairs to protect their interests.  These politically, economically and culturally powerful people genuinely believe they control the affairs of the world.  Accordingly, they disregard Almighty God and His power.  In consequence, He laughs as He knows the exact date and time of their deaths!

In the library at Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana, one Friday afternoon, 1 November 1991, I took out a sheet of paper to write a life plan.  Each decade demarcated successful professional and personal endeavors I would experience.  I aspired to superlative heights in a legal and judicial career.  I would earn two additional degrees.  I would write New York Times bestselling books.   It stood to reason that wealth, celebrity and many other bourgeois accoutrements of success and fame would adorn my perfect and exquisite life.  Arrogantly, I determined that I would live until at least ninety-five years of age.  I wrote the Latin word, Finis, to signify my grand exit from the stage of life.  Assuredly, it would be met with extensive grief by my lifelong loyal fans whose grandiloquent celebrations of my life would last for a month.

Any genuinely spiritual personal realizes in the middle of the previous paragraph that none of the items on that list came to fruition.  I posit my life is far richer and meaningful than it would have been had I achieved those plans.  My relationship with my beloved wife spanning twenty-one years inclusive of nineteen years of marriage was not on the list.  My two wonderful children whom I greatly adore were not on the list.  My spiritual maturity and personal growth which motivates me to serve Almighty God by directly serving other people were not on the list.  Essentially, the principles and people that I hold very dear to my heart and life were not on the list.  I previously saw them as accessories to my very personal and self-centered existence.  As invaluable components to God’s grace, they enable me to live a happy, joyously and free.

I agree with the enduring saying, “If you want to make God laugh, make some plans.”  It is apparent He enjoyed a few wonderful laughs at my expense.  Today, I genuinely rely upon God’s guidance and grace as I enjoy life’s daily complexities, mysteries and joys.  The prophet, Jeremiah says, “For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord.  Plans to prosper you and not to harm you; to give you hope and a future.”  (Jeremiah 29:11)  I suggest this verse as a means of making plans and avoiding God’s laughter at your expense.