Joy Comes in the Morning

When we are in the midst of a major storm in our lives, there really is nothing we want more than for it to stop. I remember being in the middle of one of the worst storms I have ever weathered. I was in so much pain and distress that I just wanted it to end. I remember crying out to God and asking him to save me, to pick me up out of this mess and rescue me. There was no immediate answer, but I kept crying out to him, for a while, and after a while of no response, I simply gave up. I started to lose hope and I was so far beyond discouraged that I had no idea what to do. What I realized through this experience, was that I was not trusting God, at all. I wanted him to just come in and change everything on my terms, but I was forgetting that God doesn’t work on my terms and he most certainly doesn’t answer to me. I was so consumed by the storm and my circumstances that I was failing to keep my focus on the only one who is in control. The problem was me. I was being self-centered and stubborn and like a child who wasn’t getting her way I was on the verge of throwing an adult-sized tantrum. What was adding to my frustration, like I mentioned before, were the people who were quoting Jeremiah 29:11 to me all the time. If God had plans for me, then why wasn’t he letting me see them! It was only when a friend of mine pointed out that the rest of the passage wasn’t being mentioned that I realized what the issue was. I wasn’t seeking after God with everything I had and I certainly hadn’t surrendered to him. I still wanted what I wanted. Now, the whole point of me telling you this is; sometimes the whole reason we take our focus of Christ when we are in the middle of the storm has nothing to do with the storm itself, but it has everything to do with the condition of our hearts. I know I’ve said this many times before, but David was a man after God’s own heart, and this showed. Even in the midst of some terrible storms he kept his focus on God. He would question God in one sentence and then he would praise him in another. I think this is the very thing that helped to remind him that God was in control in the midst of his storms. “What will you gain if I die, if I sink into the grave? Can my dust praise you? Can it tell of your faithfulness? Hear me Lord, and have mercy on me. Help me, O Lord. You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing. You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy that I might sing praises to you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever!” (Psalm 30:9-12) What was true in David’s life is true in your life as well. God is in control. Even when the rain is pouring down, the wind is howling and the thunder booms across the sky, God is in control. When the trees bend beneath the force of the wind or the waters rise, God is in control. Do you really think he would not be in control of something when it involves someone he loves so much? He is in control whether you like it or not and his outcome will far outweigh anything we can come up with. The storms we go through in life, although they seem to last a long time, are but a blip of time in comparison to eternity. So, hold on. Relief is coming. “Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes in the morning” (5)