Joy Comes In The Morning

Psalm 30: 1-5

I will extol You, O LORD, for You have lifted me up...

O LORD my God, I cried out to You,

And You healed me.

O LORD, You brought my soul up from the grave;

You have kept me alive...

Sing praise to the LORD, you saints of His,

And give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name.

For His anger lasts a moment,

His favor lasts for life;

Weeping may endure for a night,

But joy comes in the morning.

I know there are times we must be careful not to base our decisions and actions on how we feel. Feelings can be so transient - they ebb and flow depending on the circumstances. It is a matter of guarding one's heart and thoughts. It requires discipline. I am going through a period of deep feeling and it has been tempting to give in to the emotions even if they go against what my head knows as truth. Today, or at least at this moment, I am choosing to remind myself of that which doesn't change...God's compassion (He lifts me up); His power (He heals me); His grace (He keeps me alive); His love (it lasts for life); the hope I have because He is Who He is.

The hard things of life will be there. They will be used by a jealous enemy to drive me away from my Father. If I give in to my feelings, the roaring lion could very well be successful. God assures me, however, that my sorrow and struggles and heaviness will not last forever. Joy will come. Tonight, when my mind gets lazy and I start to give in to emptiness, I will remind myself of God's promises. They might not feel true but I will choose to trust. I will lean into my Abba rather than away and depend on His strength to support me.

Joy Comes In The Morning

~William J. and Gloria Gaither

If you've knelt beside the rubble of an aching, broken heart,

When the things you gave your life to fell apart;
You're not the first to be acquainted with sorrow, grief or pain,
But the Master promised sunshine after the rain.

Hold on my child, joy comes in the morning,
Weeping only lasts for the night;
Hold on my child, joy comes in the morning,
The darkest hour means dawn is just in sight.

To invest your seed of trust in God in mountains you can't move,
You have risked your life on things you cannot prove;
But to give the things you cannot keep for what you cannot lose,
Is the way to find the joy God has for you.

Hold on my child, joy comes in the morning,
Weeping only lasts for the night;
Hold on my child, joy comes in the morning,
The darkest hour means dawn is just in sight.

The darkest hour means dawn is just in sight.

http://praisegathering.com/sounds/GG2223_12.mp3