The Last Laugh

UV 979/10,000 The Last Laugh Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy. John 16 v 20 While the people of the Word lament and are in anguish, the people of the world rejoice. But the victory, success and happiness of the latter is short-lived. They seem to triumph but for a fleeting moment in comparison with the eternal, everlasting, never dying hope and joy of the people of the Word. The world will laugh at us now but the Lord will enable us to laugh at them later. The image that scripture draws is that of a sower who goes forth to sow precious seed with many heavy thoughts and burdens bearing down on him but he returns with many sheaves of crops at the time of harvest. We sow the seed with prayer in the fields of the spirit. Prayer is sowing in the spirit and when we reap the answer we rejoice greatly. The reason scripture gives for why the Lord delights in answering our faithful prayers is that He desires that our joy should be full. Jesus likens the predicament of believers or disciples to that of the labour pain of a pregnant woman during delivery. While it lasts it causes great pain and many tears but the moment the baby is born, it turns into much laughter. The moment our prayers are answered and our hope is fulfilled, our sorrows turn into a great source of everlasting joy, not just for us but for all those who hear our testimony. This is the reason that the aged Sarah who gave birth to Isaac whose very name “laughter” said that those who hear that a woman her age bore a child will laugh with her. She would laugh with joy while many of them would laugh with disbelief even as Sarah and Abraham laughed when they first heard the promise of God. Some of them would even explain it by saying that she must have adopted or picked up a child somewhere. But the Lord will enable us to have the last laugh in every situation. The Lord has given us a promise that whatever trouble we face we would face any problem for two days and on the third day, He would revive us in His presence. Many believers grow through great torment and strife. Some face premature bereavement of their loved ones. I myself know of some believers who died early or lost some dear one prematurely. Some face great opposition and troubles of different kinds. This is the reason Jesus said, “ In this world you will face tribulation but rejoice for I have overcome.” Jesus also said, “ I will send you the Holy Spirit, the Comforter.” Jesus will wipe every tear from every eye. He will give us the strength to overcome or the patience, faith and stamina to endure and not give up. He will comfort us. St James wrote that we should “ consider it pure joy when we undergo suffering” that the Lord has allowed for it is intended to build our character and patience. Prateep V Philip