Sorrow into Joy

The student may dream of a pill taken before an exam to give all knowledge of that difficult subject - and a set of perfect marks. It doesn’t work that way - there has to be the sweat of swatting!

"You mean I have to go through the pain of this major surgery to regain my health and strength again?"

"O yes! I want this first baby all right! But I’m due next week, and some of my friends have been telling me about the difficult time they had!"

We define things so negatively. We think of "peace" as the absence of "war" - rather than positive well-being and prosperity. "Happiness" assumes the absence of anything unpleasant - then why did Jesus speak about the happiness of the "poor in spirit" and "those who mourn" in the beatitudes (Mt. 5.3,4)? We would like the "regular" seasons all the time with neither drought nor flood.

Life just isn’t like that. The creation of light brought both night and day (Gen. 1.3-5). The seasons bring us autumn and winter, as well as spring and summer.

The heading of Psalm 30 describes it as a psalm of David "written for the dedication of the temple." That is rather striking since it was David’s son, Solomon, who actually built the temple - David had already gone. Yet he had longed for the temple to be built, as he expresses in so many psalms - "I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever" (Ps. 23.6b). Certainly he dedicated the site of the temple (1 Chron. 21.26; 22.1).

In this psalm he reflects on the tough experiences of his life - when he felt himself to be "in the depths," in "the grave / the pit" (v. 3), the times of weeping and dismay when God’s face seemed hidden from him (vv. 5,7). He had known the gloating of his enemies (v. 1) and the Lord’s anger (v. 5).

But the Lord’s "anger lasts only a moment, but his favour lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning" (v. 5).

God’s attitude is grace, not anger. He wants to lift up the fallen, to heal the wounded, to bring rejoicing instead of weeping, certainty and security instead of confusion.

"You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing to you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever" (vv. 11-12).

Life brings many negative experiences. We contribute to some of them. Others come from circumstances beyond our control. But our lives needn’t be defined by them. We don’t have to be overwhelmed by them. In the midst of them, our lives can be defined by the grace of the God who turns our sorrow into joy.

That’s why David writes, "Sing to the Lord, you saints of his; praise his holy name" (v. 4). "Saints" isn’t a reference to those who have attained a high degree of "sanctity." Rather, it simply refers to God’s people, those who trust him and receive his grace in forgiveness and help. That makes all the difference.

Prayer: Dear Lord, sometimes life seems so tough, so unreasonable, so painful. Yet you are here, meeting us in the midst of it all. Sometimes we are overwhelmed by the thread of negative circumstances. We admit that some of it is of our own making, yet so much is beyond our control. Too often we have failed to discern the thread of your grace - and the support of your "everlasting arms"! Help us to know that our lives are defined by you. Enable us to support and encourage others burdened down by memories of failure and overwhelmed by circumstances they cannot change. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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