Morning is Coming!

Sing praise to the Lord, you saints of His,

and give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name.

For His anger is but for a moment,

His favor is for life;

Weeping may endure for a night,

but joy comes in the morning!

Psalm 30:4-5

Why do we weep?

David wrote this Psalm about ten years into his reign over the kingdom of Israel, and was by then a man acquainted with griefs and sorrows. Anointed as a boy to be the king, he spent more than two decades in constant peril from enemies within and without. The king personally tried to kill him on numerous occasions. Promised one daughter of the king as wife, he had to stand by as she was given to another. Given another daughter, he was forced to abandon her and she was also given to another. Because they helped David, an entire family of priests--80 men, their wives and children--was slaughtered. At one low point in his young life, both friends and enemies raised their voices against him. His house was burned to the ground, his possessions stolen, his wives and children kidnapped. His mentor was dead, his covenant brother was giving his life on a bloody battlefield, and his staunchest supporters wanted to stone him to death.

And the Bible says, "David encouraged himself in the Lord."

Why do we weep?

Sometimes we weep because our enemies find many reasons to laugh at our fate.

Sometimes we weep because we are sick and in pain, and it seems no relief will come.

Sometimes we weep because we believe we have failed God one too many times, and His anger will never be satisfied.

Sometimes we weep because we are assaulted and violated in the places we thought most safe.

Sometimes we weep because God seems so distant, or deaf to our cries, like there is no hope for us.

But we must remember--God doesn't plot for our destruction; He plans for our salvation. God isn't out to get us; He is out to bless us. The Psalmist recognized the anger of God, but he says "It only lasts a moment! The blessings of God are for always!" When God saved you and began to bless you, it was for life, with no intentions of taking that blessing away as long as you walked in the safety of His love and grace. Yes, we can willingly step away from God's goodness; but even then, God does not give up on us. His Holy Spirit follows us wherever we go, calling us back to the love of God.

Sometimes we weep, but David knew the weeping would only be for a little while. Joy was coming with the morning!

And what a wonderful morning it is, when dawn breaks over the horizon, flooding the darkness with marvelous light! It bespeaks a fresh start, a new day, and hope that things are going to be alright! David wrote:

You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;

You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness,

To the end that my glory may sing praise to You

and not be silent.

God is good; let the whole world know! And know it yourself.