“Weeping may last for the night, but a shout of joy comes in the morning.” (Ps 30:5)

 

As I sit and write this morning, It is a dreary day in Kentucky.

 

Days like today make it hard to focus on the positive.  To be honest, there has not been much positive for me to write.  The quarantine seems to be going on forever.  My children are missing out on the last week of school, which is a time for awards, field days, and fun.  Many in our church are struggling with isolation.  Some have gotten bad news regarding the health of loved ones.  Others have had to say goodbye to parents.  In the midst of all of this, my dog of 15 years passed.

Sometimes we get low.  Sometimes the darkness in the world seems so overwhelming that it is hard to muster up the energy to even look for a silver-lining, much less find it.  So how does a Christian respond to bad days, weeks, even months?  

It was the line that begins this post that has been rolling in my head all morning; a line found in the 30th Psalm.  As I read this psalm to myself today I wanted to share with you a few truths from this passage that may help all of us as we go through hard times.

 

In the midst of your struggles, go to God

“O Lord my God, I cried to You for help, and You healed me.”

We hear people say all the time that we need to “give it to God” or “trust God” and, if we are honest, we don’t really know what that means.

Going to God in our struggles means that we trust in the promises of God even during the times when those promises are not visible and seem impossible.  This is no small task because during times of stress we usually react before we think.  However, this does not mean that we are doomed to fail.

Instead, I want you to think about an athlete or a craftsman.  Often, they need to make quick decisions in a very short amount of time.  They may need to react to a ball hit into play or adjust their hands to keep a project from shattering into a thousand pieces.  In both situations, they do not have time to ponder all the options, weigh the results, and make a decision.  In order to ensure they make the right decisions, they will train their body and mind to react in the way they want.  This means studying and practicing to the point that the motions are instinctive.
The same is true for the Christ Follower.  When we saturate our mind and our behavior in the Word of God as we diligently seek a relationship with God, we will see our instincts transform in such a way that we will run towards God in times of trouble instead of run away.

“O Lord my God, I cried to You for help…”

Pain & Sorrow does not necessarily mean you are sinning, but it does show we live in a sinful, fallen world.

“You hid your face, I was dismayed…”

In our passage today, there is a hint that David may have spoken arrogantly about his own prosperity. (v. 6) However, there is no clear indicator that this is the case.  Instead, David is pointing out that his success is directly attributed to the work of God.

Unfortunately, we will go through pain and suffering in this life with no clear indicator of why it is going on.  Sometimes, it will be the direct result of our sin and disobedience towards God.  Other times, it is simply the fact that we live in a fallen world.

Make no mistake, all of our pain and suffering comes from sin, but it may not be the case that our pain and suffering comes from our sin.  Pain and suffering are the result of Adam and Eve’s fall in the garden.  Genesis 3:17 says, “Cursed is the ground because of you; in toil you will eat of it all the days of your life.”  This statement told Adam that both He and all of creation would be affected by sin, and therefore toil, pain, suffering, and death (v. 19) would now be part of creation.

Pain and suffering in this life should always remind us that this life is now our final destination.  We were created to be with God and enjoy his relationship forever.  If we are in Christ, then one day we will leave all of this world behind; including sorrow and death!  “and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.” (Rev 21:4)

“You hid your face, and I was dismayed…”

 

Pain & Sorrow are temporary, even if it seems like they are here to stay

“Weeping may last for the night…”

In times such as this, pain and sorrow seems to pile on.  We cannot do the things we like, we lose loved ones, we cannot mourn properly, and we cannot fellowship to help with all of this.  We can feel as we sink deeper and deeper into the mire, and we simply cannot see the end of our sorrow.

Please heed the words above!  No matter how bad things seem to be, no matter how hopeless the situation may feel; there will be brighter days.  There will be better days.  There will be happier days.  The end of this statement is, “But a shout of joy comes in the morning.”

We may never really get over loss, but we can find the strength to keep going.  There are going to be bad days, but there are going to be good days too.  Live for the good days, and trust that God is doing something with the bad days to grow you and help you to truly appreciate the blessings that God is sure to bring about!

“Weeping may last for the night…”

 

Pain & Sorrow should move our hearts to worship

“O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever.”

David ended this psalm by lifting up worship to God for all that he had done.  It may seem counter-intuitive to respond to pain with worship, but it is exactly what we ought to do.

Pain and sorrow mean that we are not home yet.  Pain and sorrow mean that God is still working in our lives to make us more like Him.  Pain and sorrow mean that God is bringing about a greater good.  Pain and sorrow remind us that we have a purpose, and a mission in this world.  James said it this way, “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.  And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. (Jas 1:2-4)

I challenge you to do the same.  If you are suffering (like I am), then will you respond with joy?  Will you remember that God is at work in your life?  Will you rejoice as you realize that God has promised you a better future in glory?

 

I hope you will & I hope this will give you the perspective that you need to get through these difficult days.