Regina Spektor: Laughing With
Are you laughing with or at God?
There’s a saying that there are no atheists in fox holes. That when life is at its hardest, people turn towards their maker. At that moment, when you’re at you’re lowest point, no body’s laughing at God.
When I first heard Regina Spektor’s song, Laughing With, on the radio, I had to pull over and turn up the radio. Was I really hearing what I thought I was hearing? Was this a song about God on Triple J? And it was positive? The answer was yes to all three questions. This is a truly touching song about God. Go ahead, check out the film clip.
No one laughs at God in a hospital
No one laughs at God in a war
No one’s laughing at God when they’re starving or freezing or so very poor
When times are tough, people turn to God in prayer. It’s like we’re hardwired to believe in God. To trust that he will look after us. To recognise that he is in control. The tragedy here is that not everyone knows who this God is that they’re on their knees praying to.
It’s all too easy to make fun of God. I see countless depictions of God and Jesus in the media that take cheap shots at someone who loves us, cares for us, and has never done anything to us we didn’t deserve. But when things go bad, the laughing stops and the praying begins.
Regina Spektor also reminds us that God has a sense of humour. There is a place for “listening to a good God-themed joke”. We are to laugh WITH God, not at God. We are to share the good times with him. We are to shake our heads when someone presents a picture of God that is not right. And we are to remember that when we really need him, he’s there to listen to our prayers. Philippians 4:6 says “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.“
Don’t be afraid to come before God in prayer. Even if you have made fun of him in the past. Because he wants to listen to your prayers. He cares for you. Don’t be afraid to find out more about the God who laughs with you when times are good and comforts you when times are difficult.
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