Bill Johnson - Unexpected Keys to Your Breakthrough, Laughter and Joy
When the Bible says laughter is good medicine, it actually means, if you look it up in the original language, that laughter is good medicine. There’s an interesting story from David’s day where he was so hungry for the presence of God to rest in Jerusalem. The presence of God was represented by what is called the Ark of the Covenant, a box containing certain items that could not be touched. It’s actually where the glory, the presence of the Lord, resided. David wanted so much for the glory of God to be in his city, Jerusalem, that he set the stage for them to carry the Ark. The first time they tried, they did it through human reasoning, and someone died; David became depressed. They parked the Ark of the Covenant at the house of Obed-Edom, and everything he touched turned to gold.
So, they started rethinking their approach; perhaps when in doubt, they should check the owner’s manual to find out how they were supposed to do this. They learned that God doesn’t place His presence on the creations of man; He only puts His presence on what He created, which is man—the shoulders of priests, not on the machines we make or the organizations we form. I don’t care if it’s Bethel Church or any other; that’s not where the presence resides. The presence is always on people. You can have good people in an inferior setting, and they’ll still carry the presence there. It’s not the context that makes it powerful.
So here David declares, «I want the presence.» He travels, I think it was about seven miles, between Obed-Edom’s house and Jerusalem. What David does is take off his kingly robes and strips down to a kind of undergarment for priests—a tunic—and he begins to dance wildly down the street. Everywhere David danced, the Ark of the Covenant followed. Picture this: here’s a king just beside himself with joy, a fearful joy, because the last man who tried this died—a sober-minded joy. He gives an offering of celebration before the Lord, dancing wildly and leaping. He does this for miles while his wife watches from the palace window. This is strange because the Bible says all of Israel was there, but Michael, his wife, was in the palace. It’s odd how weird worship can look to those who are not in it; some things simply don’t make good TV. You know what I mean? Some things just don’t translate well unless you are in it yourself. I equate a revival to these geodes: those rocks are ugly on the outside, but on the inside, they’re spectacular and beautiful. That’s revival—on the exterior, it’s offensive; on the interior, it’s gorgeous.
Now, David’s dancing wildly before the Lord, and Michael, his wife, despises him in her heart. When he comes home, the presence has settled in Jerusalem, and the glory is present. He’s beside himself with joy. He returns to bless his household, and Michael, the daughter of Saul, comes out to meet him, saying, «How glorious was the king of Israel today!» This is sarcasm on steroids; she’s trying to undermine her husband. «How glorious was the king today, uncovering himself in the eyes of the maids of his servants, as one of the base fellows shamelessly encouraged himself?» David responds, «It was before the Lord who chose me over your father and all his household.» Man, I do not suggest this; I’m just reading the facts. He says, «Therefore, I will play music before the Lord,» and goes on to say, «I will be even more undignified than this, and I will be humble in my own eyes.» The scripture concludes with, «Therefore, Michael, the daughter of Saul, had no children to the day of her death.»
Michael, the daughter of Saul, who had the capacity to bear children her entire life, lost it by despising joy. She lost it by despising expressive worship. Worship should not be contained within nice, civil packages. I don’t mean to suggest we need to be offensive; that’s a non-point. The point is that it’s honest. As we see Him for who He is, we realize His greatness and give offerings of joy and celebration before our circumstances change. What He is actually saying is the people who choose to live this way become those who change the circumstances.
When you and I were born again, the Holy Spirit took up residence inside of us and began to change us from the inside out. After we’re saved, our relationships begin to improve. Our work ethic improves; the way we love our neighbors, care for those around us, and give ourselves in practical service all increases once the Holy Spirit takes up residence in us. Essentially, we live from the inside out. Jesus put it this way: the kingdom of God is within you, meaning all kingdom issues are heart issues. For believers, it’s about monitoring our inner world and observing how it reshapes our outer world. That’s why in 3 John 2, it says, «May you prosper,» which refers to money, «and be in good health,» referring to physical condition. «May you prosper and be in good health even as your soul prospers.» This announcement signifies that our internal world affects our money, income, and health.
When the Bible says laughter is good medicine, it truly means, as stated in the original language, that laughter is good medicine. It suggests, «Here’s some medicine; laugh well.» It isn’t complicated. People often gravitate towards laughter from a funny movie but may hesitate to simply choose joy. Yet the Lord wouldn’t command me to do something if it weren’t within the reach of my will. He wouldn’t say, as He does in Philippians, «Rejoice always; again, I say rejoice,» unless it was within my control to do so. You would never ask a child with a five-dollar-a-week allowance to buy you a new car; that would be cruel. You’d never expect that unless you were going to provide the resources.
The point is that you would not command someone to do something they were incapable of doing. Therefore, when the Lord tells us to rejoice and celebrate before the answer comes, it means it’s within the reach of our will; it’s a choice I can make. Joy is always within reach; it is the kingdom—it’s at hand. It’s always a reasonable solution for what I’m facing.