LAUGHING GRACE

When we pray, regardless of how we perceive it, we are influencing God’s action and God’s reply. Karl Barth’s line, “God does not act in the same way whether we pray or not,” is good advice to keep on praying whether we feel any connection or not… we are connected by grace. Barth also wrote, “Laughter is the closest thing to the grace of God.” Sometimes prayer just needs to turn into laughter, and laughing grace in our answer.

Prayer is communication and communication is neither all sober nor serious. I have often thought how tired the Lord must get of hearing my prayers of confession, petition or contrition and never hearing me laugh, sing, or speak in tongues with joy with and a heart full of lightness and cheerfulness in prayer. We sometimes just need to chill out and receive laughing grace.

And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Jesus