READING: Psalms 29-30, Acts 23:1-15
“Weeping may last for the night, but a shout of joy comes in the morning.”
Psalm 30:5
As a pastor, I’ve seen it happen many times – that is, folks dealing with great grief, fear, or worry, only to have God bring tremendous joy out of the pain. I think of the believers who received bad news about their health, but God later brought healing to their struggling bodies. Or the hurting family whose father lost his job, but God miraculously met their needs through the unexpected generosity of others. Or the couple on the verge of divorce – with anger dominating every conversation they had – but God gave them a new love for each other they had never had. Or the mother who deeply grieved her wayward son, but who wept uncontrollably with joy when God brought him home again. Or even the faithful believer who faced cancer that God did not heal, yet his faith in God’s promise of eternal healing gave him joy anyway.
The joy that God gives is simply unexplainable and almost indescribable. It’s overwhelming, fulfilling, peace-granting, and life-changing. It can be so transforming that, while we do not forget yesterday’s anguish, we often grow to thank God for the pain out of which the joy arises. The psalmist learned this joy when God delivered him from death and he experienced this truth: “Weeping may last for the night, but a shout of joy comes in the morning” (Psa. 30:5). God had turned his “mourning into dancing” (Psa. 30:11) and his grief into gladness. God did so, and the psalmist could only sing God’s praises and “not be silent” (Psa. 30:12).
I am grateful for God’s Word today, for it reminds me that pain can lead to singing. I may not be hurting at that level today, but life is likely to be more difficult at some point. The day will come when my nights are filled with weeping. It’s then that, I trust, I will remember the psalmist’s words in Psalm 30 – and I will join the psalmist in giving thanks to God forever.
ACTION STEPS:
- Pray for someone whose nights are filled with tears. If you’re that person, read Psalm 30 again and again.
- Let your joy in God be evident today. Give the world hope.
PRAYER: “Lord, bring me joy out of my grief and fear; turn my mourning into dancing.”
TOMORROW’S READING: Psalms 31-32, Acts 23:16-35