January 11

Psalm 30:5“For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.” (NKJV)

Life is full of emotion.  If you don’t feel any, you better check yourself for a pulse.  Sadness is an emotion some of us feel very often.  Sometimes things just look bleak from where we sit.  Sadness can take many forms.  It may take the form of disappointment.  It could be that we are mourning the loss of a loved one.  We could have a feeling of abandonment because someone has left us alone.  And the list could go on.  Why do these things happen?  That is the result of the fall—we brought this upon ourselves through sin in the Garden.

But what is the purpose of these things?  More often than not that is a mystery that only God knows.  Yes, weeping may endure for the night; things may look bleak for a while; perhaps you may even experience God’s anger for a moment.  During these times trust in the Lord.  Sometimes that can be one of the hardest things to do because God doesn’t always work on our timetable, and He doesn’t always show us what we want to see.  But if we turn our back on God, to whom will we turn?   Humans change their mind—God is unchanging.

Remember what Moses said to Joshua in Deuteronomy 31:8—because it applies to all of us today just as well--“And the Lord, He is the One who goes before you.  He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed."