Laughing in the Heavens

Scripture:

Psalm 2:4 He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision.

Observation:

Being seated is a sign of His authority: He is the eternal Creator and the transcendent Lord of all things. News from earth doesn't dismay Him or make Him nervous. He doesn't read the daily paper to keep current. "Behold, the nations are as a drop in a bucket…. All nations before Him are as nothing, and they are counted by Him less than nothing and worthless … It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers…. He brings the princes to nothing; He makes the judges of the earth useless" (Isaiah 40:15, Isaiah 40:17, Isaiah 40:22, Isaiah 40:23).

God is all-powerful. He created the world and knew about the empires of the earth long before they came into being (Daniel 2:26-45). But pride and power cause nations and leaders to rebel against God and try to break free of him. Many world leaders boast of their power, rant and rave against God and his people, and promise to take over and form their own empires. But God laughs because any power they have comes from him, and he can also take it from them. We need not fear the boasts of tyrants—they are in God's hands and will be judged by him.

Application:

God laughs, not at the nations, but at their confused thoughts about power. It is the laughter of a father when his three-year-old boasts that he or she can outrun him or beat him in a wrestling match. The father knows the limited strength of his little child, and God knows the boundaries of power of the nations. Every nation is limited, but God is omnipotent. If you have to choose between confidence in God and confidence in any nation, choose God!

Have you ever imagined God laughing in the heavens? Think about it for a moment. Right now, God is on the throne. He’s not mad. He’s not worried about the economy. He’s not upset with us. No, God is full of joy and laughing on the throne. It goes on to tell us in Psalm 37 that He’s laughing because “He can see the destruction of the enemy coming.” In other words, the reason God laughs is because He knows the end of the story. He knows the final outcome. The good news is that you and I win. God always causes us to triumph!

I am a HUGE Arkansas Razorback fan. During the football season when Arkansas is playing a game, I am a nervous wreck. If the game is close, i go outside, and peek through the wiindow and see how they are doing. My son is the same way. What if I already knew who was going to win? No matter how far behind the Razorbacks may get, no matter how bad it looks for them, I wouldn’t get upset. I wouldn’t be worried. Why? Because I've got inside information. I know the final outcome. That’s what God is saying to us today. When it gets tough and things don’t look like they’re going to work out, we know that with God we are on the winning team! Today, you can laugh with Him knowing that He is in control, and He has already let you know that you are going to win.

Prayer:

"Lord, it is difficult at times with the batles we face in life. It is easy to get stressed out, discoureaged, depressed, and overwhelmed. When things aren't looking very promising, it is easy to just want to throw up our hands and quit. But God I thank You for this Word today. I am so thankful that You look out at the way things are going in the world, and You can laugh. You laugh because You know the end. You know how it all turns out. So, today I choose to laugh with You. The laugh of joy! Thank You Lord! In Jesus name, amen!"