Day 279.
Sing praises to the Lord, O you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name. For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning. (Psalm 30:4, 5 ESV)
This Psalm invites us to sing praises because joy always follows tears for the believer. Hard times come. Maybe you are facing a hard time right now. If so, then this psalm is a great comfort, pointing you to hope. Hard times only come for a season and they will pass. And the joy that comes in it’s place will somehow be fueled by the tears. Tolkien depicts it through two characters in the Lord of the Rings, Frodo and Sam. They are are walking through a land of darkness and despair, ravaged and worn down. They are headed on a quest that seems doomed. At one point Sam looks up and notices a momentary break in the foreboding clouds to spy a star beyond and realizes something that keeps him pressing on during the journey, that there is light and high beauty forever beyond the reach of shadow. Some time later, after the quest is over and the gloom is lifted, he wrestles to understand the new found joy that they are all experiencing and asks, “Will everything sad become untrue?” this Psalm gives us the answer, and it is a resounding, YES!
Even if you are not going through a hard time this Psalm is wise to heed as it prepares you for the day you do.
Have you ever felt overwhelmed with sadness at night? What caused it? How were you in the morning? Did your tears give way to joy? Would you have known that joy without the tears?
Sing praise to God because he turns tears to joy!
McCheyne’s Bible Reading Plan: 1 Kings 9, Eph 6, Ez 39, Ps 30
