Feb 10, 2026 – Laughter
JC – “Trust Me enough to spend ample time with Me, pushing back the demands of the day.” I really was about to push back my time with God because I pretty much wasted this last hour making coffee and getting ready for an 8:30 Zoom call, but even just a moment with God is better than no moments. His wisdom, guidance, and presence make all the difference in how my day goes. “Refuse to feel guilty about something that is so pleasing to Me, the King of the universe. Because I am omnipotent, I am able to bend time and events in your favor. You will find that you can accomplish more in less time, after you have given yourself to Me in rich communion.”
Simpson encourages, “Let us lose ourselves and rise to a new life in Christ.” See Gal. 2:20
This was where I had to stop so I could leave for physical therapy. This short time with God indeed helped prepare me for what was ahead.
Prevail #41 – Joshua 23:10 – “Each one of you will put to flight a thousand of the enemy, for the Lord your God fights for you, just as he has promised.” This is such a timely message (not surprising) because I was able to share it with someone I care about who had a surprising “punch in the gut” experience today. As the dust settles, it is more and more clear that what the enemy meant for harm, God used for good. Larson confirms, “When we give God His rightful place in our lives, the enemy will be defeated, his evil schemes against us will eventually fall apart, and his attempts to derail our destiny will end up working in our favor…. He’s the same God today. He deserves our reverence, our trust, and our swift obedience. And He will intervene in ways we never dreamed as we take our stand and watch what He will do.”
Utmost – Chambers asks, “Is Your Imagination Starved? …In every wind that blows, in every night and day of the year, in every sign of the sky, in every blossoming and in every withering of the earth, there is a real coming of God to us if we will simply use our starved imagination to realise it…. If your imagination is starved, do not look back to your own experience; it is God Whom you need.”
Max – Romans 8:28 – “In all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” God knew this verse, my favorite, would be here waiting for me on this day to comfort me as I comfort someone else.
Streams – And this one from Romans 12:19 – “Do not take revenge, my friends.” Cowman shares Margaret Bottome’s thoughts about unfair attacks, “There are times when doing nothing demands much greater strength than taking action. Maintaining composure is often the best evidence of power…. Those who are unjustly accused, and mistreated without cause, know the tremendous strength that is necessary to keep silent and to leave revenge to God…. The apostle Paul said, ‘None of these things move me’ (Acts 20:24 KJV). He did not say, ‘None of these things hurt me.” It is one thing to be hurt, and quite another to be moved.”
JA – “COME TO ME, and I will ease, relieve, and refresh your soul…. Tell Me your troubles candidly…. Then rest with Me…. You can feel safe and secure in My everlasting arms…. I restore your soul – helping you to rest and see things from My perspective.” See Matthew 11:28, Deuteronomy 33:27, Psalm 23: 2-3, and Psalm 62:1. I’m just…speechless…except that I want to shout about how awesome His timing and understanding are in speaking to me and this situation through these devotions and Scripture verses.
Power – Proverbs 17:22 – “A happy heart is good medicine and a cheerful mind works healing, but a broken spirit dries up the bones.” I got the news about the “gut punch” on my way to physical therapy. On my way home after physical therapy, Joel Osteen was delivering a message on “The Healing Power of Laughter.” Each devotion has allowed me to think about and work through this issue and to lean on God for guidance and comfort – like in the Psalms when David laments and then finds peace. And now God is offering a prescription for healing. Joyce encourages us to, “Fight the good fight with faith-filled words, releasing joy into the very atmosphere you are in.”
There’s a troupe of actors in Canada who do funny gags similar to what the old show “Candid Camera” used to do. It’s called “Just for Laughs Gags” and it is indeed good medicine. I have shared their link with many people since discovering them years ago. Don has a drawing of the “Laughing Jesus.” It’s worth Googling to make you smile. I chose to put the photo below at the end because it wouldn’t have made sense (to me) at the beginning; and, it probably doesn’t make sense why I’m including it at all with everyone in the photo looking frightened. However, this photo is one I’ve gone to many times, in the years since it was taken, to make me smile and eventually laugh. I talked my kids into going on what I thought was a kid’s roller coaster, but this first drop shows it wasn’t tame! As my gaze moves from face to face, I laugh even more. I think they took the good mom award away from me for a while after that! Maybe just until the ice cream after the ride…..
