I laughed … and I laughed … and I laughed. Yet, this was no laughing matter; it was intensely grievous. I had been “thrown under the bus” through a narcissist’s typical weapon: scapegoating his victim in order to conceal his remorseless sloth. Yet I laughed. Strangely, laughter felt so good, so exhilarating, so freeing — down to the core. I felt relieved in knowing that I was not caught in this person’s cruel hook. But he was certainly caught on God’s hook … and that was bad for him:
“But the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he knows their day is coming.”
(Psalm 37:13 NIV)
Formerly, I would have wrung my hands in distress. But that day, through my laughter, I felt strangely drawn to God. I found myself identifying with God’s laughter. I remembered that He is not cowering in a corner of heaven wringing his hands, feeling overrun by wickedness. And that’s not what He wants for you or me either!
“See what [the wicked] spew from their mouths — they spew out swords from their lips, and they say, ‘Who can hear us?’ But you, O Lord, laugh at them; you scoff at all those nations.”
(Psalm 59:7-8 NIV)
As society drifts, unabated godlessness is infiltrating all our societal networks. Calloused people readily shift the blame in order to avoid facing their sin problem. Moral integrity gets submerged by vindictiveness and exploitation. The ungodly engage in deceit at another’s expense. They find easy targets among folk with a sensitive moral conscience.
Conscientious believers are bound to find themselves targeted at some point. When that happens, they may feel overly responsible and assume the burden for sins that they did not commit. They wonder what they did wrong, how they gave the wrong impression. They may experience guilt. They may engage in fruitless efforts to appease their accuser. This is not our Christian calling!
We have been given God’s Spirit as our shield of faith to deflect these flaming arrows of false accusation. Thus, instead of cowering, we can boldly laugh with God.
But let’s not forget that the same God Who laughs also rages, hates, grieves, and weeps over wickedness — all at the same time. Put together, these expressions reflect God’s one supreme expression: His covenant love for fallen humanity. The same God Who laughs also gave His Son to die by the hands of remorseless sinners.
This Son, our beloved Saviour, will continue to be “thrown under the bus” by those who refuse to face their depravity. Still today, nations shake their fists at God’s Anointed One. And still:
“The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them.”
(Psalm 2:4 NIV)
We can laugh with God, even as we grieve with Him over sin’s destructiveness. Meanwhile, we humbly trust Him to protect us, praying with the psalmist:
Prayer: You are my strength. I watch for You. You, God will go before me and You will let me gloat over those who slander me. You, God, are my fortress, my God on Whom I can rely. Amen. (adapted from Psalm 59:9-10)
Diane Eaton <d.eaton@bmts.com>
Paisley, Ontario, Canada