No One Laughs

I heard a song on the radio the other day. It really hit home. I have found that South Florida is really more of a mission field than Central or South America were. Why you may ask? Here everyone talks about God, but it is usually to use His name in vain, to make a joke, or to use His name like a lucky charm. A man that helped move our crate in told Ken this amazing story about how God had used someone to save him from throwing himself off a bridge during rush hour traffic and then took him to a phone booth and called the number for the man's wife and then left. This was a stranger he did not know and never even told he had a wife he had been separated from. It was an obvious intervention from the Lord and this man said he had committed his life to the Lord since then. After this amazing testimony the man then talked about how he needed some money and he was praying that God would bless him as he went to do some betting at the casino.

I am using My Utmost for His Highest right now as a devotional reading and today's lesson talked about prayer and how so often "we look upon prayer as a means of getting things for ourselves when the Bible's idea of prayer is that we may get to know God himself." And so I think this song is very relevant in today's culture where people often look on the idea of prayer and a relationship with God as amusing or even laughable until tragedy strikes in their lives. It is relevant in a culture where people pray for God to change their circumstances instead of praying that God changes them.

Here is the video by Regina Spektor and following that are the words if you want to read them.




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

No one laughs at God
When the doctor calls after some routine tests
No one’s laughing at God
When it’s gotten real late
And their kid’s not back from the party yet

No one laughs at God
When their airplane starts to uncontrollably shake
No one’s laughing at God
When they see the one they love, hand in hand with someone else
And they hope that they’re mistaken

No one laughs at God
When the cops knock on their door
And they say we got some bad news, sir
No one’s laughing at God
When there’s a famine or fire or flood

But God can be funny
At a cocktail party when listening to a good God-themed joke, or
Or when the crazies say He hates us
And they get so red in the head you think they’re ‘bout to choke
God can be funny,
When told he’ll give you money if you just pray the right way
And when presented like a genie who does magic like Houdini
Or grants wishes like Jiminy Cricket and Santa Claus
God can be so hilarious
Ha ha
Ha ha

No one laughs at God in a hospital
No one laughs at God in a war
No one’s laughing at God
When they’ve lost all they’ve got
And they don’t know what for

No one laughs at God on the day they realize
That the last sight they’ll ever see is a pair of hateful eyes
No one’s laughing at God when they’re saying their goodbyes
But God can be funny
At a cocktail party when listening to a good God-themed joke, or
Or when the crazies say He hates us
And they get so red in the head you think they’re ‘bout to choke
God can be funny,
When told he’ll give you money if you just pray the right way
And when presented like a genie who does magic like Houdini
Or grants wishes like Jiminy Cricket and Santa Claus
God can be so hilarious

No one laughs at God in a hospital
No one laughs at God in a war
No one laughs at God in a hospital
No one laughs at God in a war
No one's laughing at God in a hospital
No one's laughing at God in a war
No one's laughing at God when they’re starving or freezing or so very poor

No one's laughing at God
No one's laughing at God
No one's laughing at God
We’re all laughing with God