There’s something powerful about being
reassured that joy is coming. But I can tell you from experience that when you’re
in your weeping season, it is difficult to believe. This is why God made sure
to give us this promise that joy is coming in the morning. One of the reasons I
love movies in the action-fantasy genre is that the protagonists go through
what they call a character arc. Typically, this tends to entail them either fighting
a battle in which the odds are heavily against them, (think Lord of the Rings: The Battle of Helmsdeep in which they were trapped with the enemy army surrounding
them; even the King had lost hope) or actually losing a battle as the Avengers
did against Thanos. Just when all seemed lost, their arc came full circle and
ended with joy. In the case of the Battle of Helmsdeep, it wasn’t until Gimli
said “the sun is rising” that they recalled Gandalf’s words and rode out to
face the army. But imagine if they didn’t?
This tells us two things. The first is the
importance of studying God’s word. How can you remember His word if you don’t
study it? The second is to constantly use God’s word to reassure yourself even when
it seems like the weeping season will never end. A few years ago, I went through
a season of unemployment. On so many occasions, I’d wake up in the morning and
lay on the couch thinking of how all my mates were at work and earning an
income while I was there on my couch, draining my savings and having no offer of
employment coming through. Things got so tight that I once had to borrow money
to fuel my car so I could attend a job interview. After doing this interview, I
can never forget the disappointment I felt when after sending through my
payslips to prove my past pay and justify my salary request (no idea why it was
a thing) I was told to attend another interview for another role. I still didn’t
get an offer letter, despite all this.
What I didn’t know was that God was using it
to open a door to another company entirely. One day while I was laying
despondent on my couch, Joshua 1:9 (NKJV) came to me. For some reason, I quickly
opened my YouVersion bible app (shameless plug here, this is the most useful
app you could ever have) and went to read the verse. It hit me like a
thunderbolt, almost like I was reading it for the first time. The starting
sentence of Joshua 1:9 says: “Have I not commanded you?”. I had to read it again
because I never knew it was a part of the verse, I usually just mentally
started with the second sentence that says, “Be strong and of good courage”. It
was a revelation to me that God had actually commanded us to be strong and of
good courage. Just like the warriors at the Battle of Helmsdeep, after hearing
Gimli’s reminder of Gandalf’s words, who gained courage and rode out to face
the enemy they had hidden from, so did I. Suddenly, I stopped feeling
despondent and my hope and joy were renewed. Not too long after that, I got the
job. Praise God!
My pastor (Pastor Abi) said that the morning referred
to in Ps. 30:5 isn’t referring to the morning i.e., daytime but instead refers
to the moment your eyes and mind are opened (regardless of the actual time of
the day). That is what happened to me when I recalled Joshua 1:9. When you are
in a weeping season, pray without ceasing (even when the season ends!) and do
like the lyrics of the song say and give all praise to God. After all, the
bible says that we should give thanks in all circumstances (I Thess. 5:16-18).
As we wrap up the month of November, I’m here to remind you that joy is coming
in the morning. Do not give up! God’s mighty hand is not too short to save you,
His right hand does valiant things (Is. 59:1, Ps. 118:15-17)! My charge to you
is to recall to yourself what God’s word says about you and the season you are
going through!
Photo cred: YouVersion
God can be trusted! He keeps to his words. Thank you for sharing and reminding us.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this post. Its really refreshing to be reminded of God’s command.
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