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A Prayer for Resting in God’s Laughter

A little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found. But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy peace and prosperity. The wicked plot against the righteous and gnash their teeth at them; but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he knows their day is coming.Ps. 37:10-13

Dear heavenly Father, what a peace-giving Scripture! You laugh at the wicked; you don’t vex, fret, or lose sleep. Laughter is not one of the things I grew up associating with you. “Way-up-there-ness,” “Almighty-ness,” mysterious-ness, yes—but not laughter.

I praise you that the gospel continues to expose, deconstruct, and replace all kinds of wrong and incomplete notions I’ve had about you; for how we think about you in our hearts is the most important thing about us.

I so look forward to the day when I will actually hear you laugh; for that will be the day when all evil, wickedness, and injustice will be eradicated. It’s hard to conceive of a universe, a nation, a city, a relationship—even one heart, my heart—in which every semblance of sin and brokenness is completely gone.

But that Day is coming, and we praise you for this great hope that “the meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace.” Because of Jesus, we have an inheritance “that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for us” (1 Pet. 1:4). I only wish the “little while longer” we have to wait for it would be a little less long.

But you are the God who does all things well. I know this to be true, and whenever I doubt it, one look at the cross brings me back to gospel sanity—back to the meekness appropriate for those who are destined to inherit the new heaven and new earth.

So when wicked plots and gnashing teeth seem to be on the increase, and righteousness seems to be on the decrease, please, Father, enable us to hear your laughter in the gospel of the kingdom. Turn up the volume on your holy hilarity. May your joy be our strength; your promise be our confidence; and your timing be our schedule.

Give us eyes to see and hearts to believe that, right now, Jesus is making all things new, and one Day, evil will be no more. So very Amen we pray, in Jesus’ triumphant and tender name.

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