Photo by Federico Respini on Unsplash
By Mike Chaffin
1 I will exalt you, Lord, for you rescued me.
You refused to let my enemies triumph over me.
2 O Lord my God, I cried to you for help,
and you restored my health.
3 You brought me up from the grave, O Lord.
You kept me from falling into the pit of death.
4 Sing to the Lord, all you godly ones!
Praise his holy name.
5 For his anger lasts only a moment,
but his favor lasts a lifetime!
Weeping may last through the night,
but joy comes with the morning.
6 When I was prosperous, I said,
“Nothing can stop me now!”
7 Your favor, O Lord, made me as secure as a mountain.
Then you turned away from me, and I was shattered.
8 I cried out to you, O Lord.
I begged the Lord for mercy, saying,
9 “What will you gain if I die,
if I sink into the grave?
Can my dust praise you?
Can it tell of your faithfulness?
10 Hear me, Lord, and have mercy on me.
Help me, O Lord.”
11 You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing.
You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy,
12 that I might sing praises to you and not be silent.
O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever!
As children of God, His saints, we praise Him and give thanks even at the remembrance of His name. In good times and bad, when it seems God is angry with us or we have done something deserving His wrath, when the darkness won’t lift and the tears don’t stop, we are reminded that it is only for a season because joy is coming our way as long as we continue to praise Him. Job had it right when he said,
Should we accept only good things from the hand of God and never anything bad? Job 2:10
Job knew what he was saying when he said,
Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him. Job 13:15
Joy is coming in the morning!
We can’t always see God’s plan in our lives. When terrible things happen, they can make us stronger or make us sad. They test our strength and our trust in God. God loves us and will not only test us to help us grow but chastise us when we need it. It may seem He is angry at us, and indeed, for a time He may be. However, once we accept Him as our God and Jesus as our Savior, His favor is for life. Only we can turn our backs on God; He will never turn His back to us.
So, Saint, remember that we serve a living God – a miracle-working healer, a loving and forgiving father, a gift-giving provider – and offer up thanks and praise. It is this kind of relational worship that reaches heaven and causes the shades of night to flee. Joy is coming, joy is here.
