I’ve Got Joy!
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. Psalm 30:5
You know? Some days are so wrapped up in problems that you are frustrated with everything. No, I am not talking about being at the brink where you want to give up your life, but when you are writing a devotion, one never knows their audience or who it is reaching. If that is you, please listen. In my case, I was mad at the world, and it was so frustrating that I unnecessarily lashed out at my wife. I would later apologize for my overall mood, and she was just as kind, funny, and gracious as she has been all through the years of our marriage. It is her response that I want to focus on today, the wonderfulness of my wife.
The reason I mention this is because God in His infinite wisdom knew she would be the best fit for me. This is not to say she won’t be a source of frustration when she buys her tenth purse or broken the budget spending on grandchildren’s clothes and gifts. It is not that we do not argue over our children or even decisions that we make. By the way, she will tell you her indecisiveness is one of the reasons our making decisions is frustrating. But here is the thing. We never question our love for each other. In my case, she is a literal reminder of how great God has been in my life. A song would tell you best about how I feel about her saying, “Hey, I want to tell everybody. You are my love and my prize possession. Because of you I've got pride and joy.” Now I should be careful because the song is about how God’s love saved someone. But being that through her I learned best about what God’s love truly feels like maybe, He will give me a pass talking about her this way. She best represents the word ‘joy’ in my world.
God brings joy into our life, and through Him, it is everlasting. Last week, I spoke of how tough times come and we simply must cry out to Him. That was talking about walking through the pain. However, we know what is at the end of it. We have the ability to fight through it because we serve an awesome God that when we cry for help, He answers. But equally as important, He is there walking with us out of the darkness. David spoke of it in such glowing terms in today’s selected verse. He understood that God may be angered where His discipline was needed to correct us, and we may have had to endure some tough times. He notes, “but His favor lasts a lifetime!” A question was posed to me the other day asking when life falls apart, how would you view God then? Without hesitation, I could recite the words of Job, when he said:
Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
And naked shall I return there.
The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away;
Blessed be the name of the Lord.” (Job 1:21b NKJV)
These are words not just spoken from reciting it numerous times. They were words within my heart to say that though my situation and circumstances may be difficult, I will bless the Lord because He is so good to me. I am confident all of you would say the same thing.
We are grateful for God’s favor, which is everlasting. Just as I can count on my wife to be the gracious, funny, and loving woman I have grown to adore, God can be trusted to remove barriers, protect, and guide us to a life filled with love. So, if you are that person who has been in a sad and desolate place, take heed to the latter half of David’s Psalm saying, “Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.” Let us all be inspired by God’s assurances as we move either in or toward ‘morning’ in our lives. How can God’s favor be a reminder of His promises to you? What reminds you of God bringing joy to your world? My prayer is that we can embrace the ending of the song I pointed out earlier:
You see I've got love everlasting, hope
Everlasting, joy everlasting
I've got joy!
Amen.
FYI - Song: Love Said Not So – BeBe & CeCe Winans