Joy Comes In The Morning

Israel is a land full of hills and valleys, mountains and wadis. The topography is unlike anything I’ve seen elsewhere. Going anywhere is hard. No wonder Isaiah 40:4, Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, is a statement of hope. Just as God promised to smooth the rough ways for Israel, so He tells us, Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning (Psalm 30:5, NKJV).

The land of Israel is a picture of our lives on this earth, with its highs and lows. Great joy and heavy sadness. For all of us, this life is an uphill battle. The valleys are harder for some than others. And when we’re in a valley, we may believe everyone else is on a mountain top where we wish to be. In reality, all of us travel this world with a mix of happiness and pain. But Scripture tells us, joy comes in the morning.

Personal Story

Each of us has a story. Whether we’ve traveled a few years or many years on this planet, our journey takes us through mountains high and valleys low.

The last few years have been tough for everyone. The pandemic shut the world down. Loved ones were taken from us. Isolation threw a net of loneliness over many. Lost jobs caused financial stress. And when the world opened up again, the landscape looked different than it did when closure began. Businesses no longer existed. Anger and frustration filled the hearts of many. And the emotional ground under us continues to tremble like aftershocks from a major quake.

For some of us, personal losses overshadowed the general chaos. Last year, two siblings in my family. This year, two cousins, four friends. At some point, my ability to rebound sank to zero. A veil of gray covered my heart and finding joy seemed impossible. For others, it may not have been several losses, but one huge wave of grief that took your breath away as a dear one was taken from here. How do we come up for air when those waves hit? Is joy still an option?

God’s Comfort

After mom died many years ago, a friend asked my dad how he kept going. “I just put my feet on the floor each morning.” Most of us begin grief survival this same way. Our minds are in a muddle, and our hearts are numb, so we simply get up and do the next thing. Friends remind friends not to make important decisions for at least a year after a major loss. We may look like we’re all here, but decision making skills are impaired. We need to keep going, but we need to move gently for a time.

Moving gently for some may mean realizing how emotionally drained we are. Knowing our brain isn’t working well, affected by the loss, we may need to allow ourselves to check out of the normal busyness of life for awhile. But only for a time. Life here is short. We feel we need to get back to life. But we want more than just existing. We want to walk with hope and peace and joy.

One of God’s names is the God of all comfort (2 Corinthians 1:3). He knows us better than we know ourselves. And He knows our frailty. He knows attachments of heart, when broken, cause pain. And He knows how to come alongside us to ease the pain, comfort us in our loneliness, and strengthen us against the onslaught of the enemy who wants to attack us during our lowest moments.

Personal Story Revisited

This summer I found myself in a hole, a valley which ran longer than I wanted it to. I knew enough to turn to God for comfort, but if I really trusted Him, where was my joy? After allowing myself some time to “crash,” I plodded along with responsibilities, trying to do what I assumed I should do. Then a cross country trip, sickness upon return, and another loss for our family. And once again I found myself low.

On August 22, I wrote in my journal,

This weekend I crashed–again. Perhaps delay grief from Robert’s funeral? Or life as a whole? Everything seems out of whack. The last 3 1/2 years have been hard. With the generations above me gone – then Janet, Mac, cousin Chuck, Irene, Donna’s sister, cousin Robert – And the world full of chaos and evil – Lord – my mind says You are good and You are Sovereign – but my heart & soul long to feel secure. My mind knows my security is in You – please help my heart & soul recognize that truth. Joy should be within and peace if I truly trust You.

And then I wrote a verse I read in my devotions two days earlier.

Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.”

Romans 15:13

My journal writing continued with a prayer.

Father, this is what I ask of You. Fill me, please, with all joy and peace in believing. So I may abound in hope – through the power of Your Holy Spirit.

God Is Faithful

Two other verses made it into my journal that morning.

For I, the LORD your God, will hold your right hand, saying to you, “Fear not, I will help you.”

Isaiah 41:13 (NKJV)

And,

“The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I hope in Him!” The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him. It is good that one should hope and wait quietly For the salvation of the LORD.

Lamentations 3:25-26 (NKJV)

Our faithful Father let me read those verses in my time with Him the previous day. When I went back to record them in my journal, I discovered I “mistakenly” had read the wrong day’s devotion. On exactly the right day. Our kind and loving God gives us what we need when we need it.

How Do We Find Joy?

As the Psalmist says in Psalm 30:5, Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning. How? Does it just automatically appear? Do we wander in the darkness and suddenly find light filtering in? Or is there something we can do to help the joy of the morning come?

While there are times God simply lifts our spirits, I believe there are also some things we can do to encourage joy. The first thing we can do is turn to our Father and ask Him to fill us with His joy. After that, we can praise Him for Who He is. We don’t have to feel happy to do that. We just need to do it.

We can encourage one another. After all, two are better than one, and a threefold cord is not quickly broken (Ecclesiates 4:9, 12). And we must keep God’s word in our heart and mind so His Spirit can use His words to comfort and encourage. Even if the filling is slow, it will come. For joy does come in the morning.

Personal Story Of Joy

Three days after praying my Romans 15:13 prayer, I joined one hundred fifty musicians in a concert of praise to our God. The words of the songs fell like rain on my weary heart. Praising God lifts our spirits and adds joy to our souls.

I chose to stay overnight with a choral friend in a hotel room near the concert venue. Fellowship with her and my other brothers and sisters at the practice and concert added additional blessing. We humans need the encouragement of others. We aren’t made to go this road alone. My heart was lighter by the time I came home.

But I was reminded of another way we can help joy return to our hearts when I heard Chip Ingram on the radio the day after my prayer. I was only in the car for a five minute ride, but it “happened” to be when Chip was talking about the Invisible War. My brain knows we’re in a spiritual battle. But when we’re tired and hurting, we often forget things we know.

Grief is real and comfort is needed. But the enemy wants to keep us down once we’re there. Our Father has a beautiful future in store for those who are His. And He has supplied the armor we need for the spiritual battle we face while we’re here. There is a time to grieve losses and hurts. But thankfully, there is also a time for joy.

The Story Continues

I’m not naive enough to believe my journey on this earth will not involve another valley. As Dad would say, “that’s the way of things.” But what I know for sure is our Father carries us in the valleys. He comforts and supplies. And in the end, just as Isaiah the prophet said, every valley will be exalted and every mountain will be made low (Isaiah 40:4). Weeping may endure for a night, but God has determined, His joy comes in the morning.

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

Psalm 30:11-12 (NKJV)

Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning (Psalm 30:5, NKJV).

(Photos: Taken by Carolyn Thigpen, Grayson, GA, and Tiberias, Israel, 2023; Scripture: King James Version, unless otherwise specified)