Irvin Wasswa- Tylertown Campus Pastor LHBC
Psalm 30:1-5
I will extol you, O Lord, for you have drawn me up
and have not let my foes rejoice over me.
2 O Lord my God, I cried to you for help,
and you have healed me.
3 O Lord, you have brought up my soul from Sheol;
you restored me to life from among those who go down to the pit.[a]
4 Sing praises to the Lord, O you his saints,
and give thanks to his holy name.[b]
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.
The English theologian G.K. Chesterson once said pertaining to the differences in Christianity vs. Atheism: “In Christianity, joy is central and sorrow is peripheral. In contrast for the skeptic, sorrow is central and joy is peripheral.” What he meant by the statement is that for the Christian the reason why they can choose joy is because the fundamental questions pertaining to our existence are answered. Questions such as: Who created the world? What is the purpose of our existence? What happens to us when we die? are answered based on our theology. For the skeptic the opposite is true. There is no answer to those essential questions pertaining to life, leading to sorrow being a central theme of their life.
For the child of God, though we may not have answers to some of the “peripheral” questions of life such as why we are going through that trial, or why we are in the midst of a global pandemic cannot be answered; we can still choose joy because we know the One who is in control! Joy is a gift from the Lord that can be experienced in every season for the child of God. The psalmist speaks to this reality in Psalm 30. He shares how we are to choose to praise the Lord for all He has done in the first 3 verses then in vs. 4-5 he shares the reality of the gift of joy!
Though grief and sorrow comes in life because of circumstances, we can rest in the fact that it is not permanent. Though we sin and suffer consequences as a result of God’s holy anger- because we know Jesus, His anger toward us does not have to be permanent. Because of the cross, our sins have been forgiven as far as the East is from the West (Psalm 103:12). There is forgiveness when we choose to repent of our sins and ask Him for forgiveness (1 John 1:9). Hallelujah!
Whether it be in this life or the life to come, the storm that you are in now will come to an end. The trial you and I are facing will come to an end. For that reason, we can choose the gift of Joy in EVERY season. For the child of God, joy is central because we have the answers to all of life’s central questions. Jesus is still King even in the trial. So may we choose to walk in that reality today!
PRAYER FOR TODAY:
Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for your love for me! Help me to choose joy in every season of life, knowing that You are in control. In Jesus’ name, amen!
MEMORY VERSE FOR THE WEEK:
Psalm 8:9
O Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!