Joy Challenge Video Devotional - Day 22: Pastor Ryan Shook
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“Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.”
Psalm 30:5b (NLT)
God can bring us from a night of weeping to a morning of joy! This is what He did for David. And David recorded it in his prayer journal of Psalms. In Psalms 30:2-5 (NLT) he writes from his own painful experience:
“O LORD my God, I cried to You for help, and You restored my health. You brought me up from the grave, O LORD. You kept me from falling into the pit of death. Sing to the LORD, all you godly ones! Praise His holy name. For His anger lasts only a moment, but His favor lasts a lifetime! Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.”
Scholars believe King David wrote this Psalm following a time of discipline in his life when he had disobeyed God and a national plague broke out in Israel. As a result, 70,000 people died. This caused David great distress. He cried out in brokenness to God repenting of his pride and rebellion against God as their leader. The Lord forgave David and gave him the blessing of a new beginning. Afterward, he would purchase a plot of ground that he dedicated to be the site for the temple that Solomon would build. David began to use that plot as his own personal place of worship reminding him of the high cost of sin and humbling him before the God who forgave him of it.
Pastor and author, Warren Wiersbe writes of this occasion in David’s life, “For David, this was the dawning of a new day after a painful time of suffering in darkness. Each morning, God's mercies are new (Lamentations 3:22-23), and God's special help often arrives in the morning. "God will help her when morning dawns" (Psalm 46:5; and see Psalm 59:16; 143:8). The resurrection of Jesus Christ brought the dawning of a new day for all who trust in Him (Matthew 28:1). Weeping comes as a guest, but God's gracious favor is with us for a lifetime. (See 2 Corinthians 4.) As Jesus explained to His disciples, God doesn't replace sorrow with joy; He transforms sorrow into joy (John 16:20-22). The same baby that causes the mother pain also brings the mother joy.”
Have sin and bad choices brought sorrow and discipline in your life? The Bible says, “My child, pay attention when the Lord disciplines you. Don't give up when He corrects you. The Lord disciplines everyone He loves. He severely disciplines everyone He accepts as His child. Endure your discipline. God corrects you as a father corrects his children. All children are disciplined by their fathers. If you aren't disciplined like the other children, you aren't part of the family. On earth we have fathers who disciplined us, and we respect them. Shouldn't we place ourselves under the authority of God, the Father of spirits, so that we will live? For a short time our fathers disciplined us as they thought best. Yet, God disciplines us for our own good so that we can become holy like Him. We don't enjoy being disciplined. It always seems to cause more pain than joy. But later on, those who learn from that discipline have peace that comes from doing what is right.” Hebrews 12:5-11 (GW)
God can turn your night of weeping into a morning of joy when you confess your sins to Him and seek His mercy and grace. Maybe this is a good time to pause and take inventory in your life. Do a little soul detox. 1 John 1:9 (NIV) says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
When David made his confession to God, he entered these final verses in Psalm 30:11-12 (TLB), “Then He turned my sorrow into joy! He took away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy so that I might sing glad praises to the Lord instead of lying in silence in the grave. O Lord my God, I will keep on thanking You forever!”
Printed copies of The Joy Challenge devotional are available at The Joy Challenge - Kerry Shook Ministries.