Delightful stories

One of my favorite sounds in the world these days is the sound of Meng Pu's laugh. It is so full of love and joy and life, it comes from the Lord, and it is contagious.

Our study on faith continues. He reads it in Zo language, and I follow along in English. Sometimes as he reads, he will pause and close his eyes and say, "Yes, hallelujah... it is good..." These are the moments I know he is reading something very familiar and dear to him, something that has comforted or strengthened him in the past.

Sometimes as he reads, he will stop mid-sentence and gasp and put his hand over his heart, and read it again and say, "Oh! God is... I need... dis is very good." These are the moments I know that God is teaching him a new thing, challenging him in his heart.

But then there are sometimes, more often in the recent weeks, when he is reading and does a double-take. He reads in a calm voice, then says, "eh?" and looks at me, then looks back at the verse, points to it, and translates it into English, to see if my Bible says the same thing his does. When I nod and confirm it, his face breaks into a huge smile and he chuckles, then laughs out loud, so hard that he has to take his reading glasses off and wipe his eyes. I can't help but laugh along with him. And these are the moments I know he just discovered something new about the character of God, and he takes such delight in it.

Some things that have brought him laughter lately: Rahab was a prostitute from Jericho, and God chose to rescue her and put her in the family of King David. Gideon had too many men, and God kept sending them home. Barak wouldn't go to war without Deborah, so God gave the honor of killing Sisera to a woman. Samson's parents wanted him to marry a nice Israelite girl from a good family, but God wanted him to marry a Philistine and stir up all sorts of trouble. In Meng Pu's words: "Bad woman, bad city, bad thing. But God say it is good, God say I will love, God say I want. We want no same God want. I need obey God say."

What stories in the Bible delight you? Which ones show you crazy and beautiful things about who God is? Which ones make you laugh until you cry with the joy of the Lord?