Friday, February 24, 2017

Psalms 30:4-5 -- On Singing for Joy

"Sing unto the Lord, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.
For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning."
Psalms 30:4-5


To me these verses together tell us that we should sing about the happy ending that God promises us.  No matter where we are in life, up or down, or hopelessly confused... in this moment we might not be able to see or feel the promise, and in this moment we might weep because we are frightened or lost.  But if we stick with God, things will get better... because God.  Because everything he does is golden, and everywhere we go with him is paradise.  He offers us all a promised land--a happy ending.

It's hard to see sometimes, given.  Bad things happen.  Things get confusing.  We make mistakes and sometimes we purposely choose evil.  We don't always know which way is up, and even when we do, sometimes we choose down. Those things aren't to be belittled.  They matter to us, and God cares about our sorrows too, and he will help us bear them and overcome every challenge, if we turn to him.  What we need to remember even in the hard times though is that God always knows which way is up, and he will help us.  No pain or sorrow is so great that God can't show us the way through it, and lead us to further joy and happiness.  We just have to clean up our lives, keep faith and hope, and stick with his plan.  God's plan doesn't guarantee a life free of pain, or endless riches, much as we might prefer.  It does guarantee a lifetime of learning though, and amidst the pain and the struggle, he can always show us the joy and hope and goodness that is shining through if we look for it.

Today, let's sing for the joy that the Lord offers us.  Let's find it, work for it, and welcome it.

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