Todd Johnson
Family Pastor
Psalm 30:5
“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.”
This verse has brought me great comfort for the last few weeks. May was an emotional month for me. I experienced my first Mother’s Day without my wife as well as my mom. I celebrated my birthday for the first time without Bethany being by my side and May 31st was the first anniversary of my wife going to heaven. The days leading up to each of those dates were filled with anxiety and fear. When the day came, it wasn’t that bad. I certainly shed some tears when thinking about Bethany and my mom, but I was reminded of this verse and the truth that JOY comes in the morning. Over the last year, I have spent many nights crying myself to sleep, but when I awoke the next morning, I found God’s mercies to be new and His grace overflowing.
Life is hard, we are not promised an easy road as followers of Jesus. We must be diligent in spending time in God’s word and applying it to our lives. I carry this verse in my heart and dwell on it often, so that when I am not doing well, I can hold on to God’s promise that JOY will come to me. There is JOY in my identity in being a child of the one true King. Even when I am having a rough day and just want to crawl into bed and cry, I still can find JOY in my life because of Christ. I want to encourage you to keep your eyes on Jesus and allow Him to fill you with His love, grace and mercy. No matter how bad your day may become, cling tight to His promise that JOY comes in the morning.