Joy in the Morning

“For His anger endureth but a moment; in His favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.” (Psalms 30:5)

We know that God is good. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” (James 1:17) It’s a terrifying thing to think that God would completely leave us to our own devices. If God would completely separate Himself from us, every evil would turn on us.  Imagine what happened to Jesus when He took our sin. He was separated from the Father completely because of our sin. And at the time of His death cried out. “And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? (Matthew 27:46)

This Scripture begins “For His anger endureth but a moment...” We see this in the Old Testament.  God waited for the people to repent and returned to bless them. But because of their sinful human spirit, they continued to sin.  But each time, God returned to bless them when they repented.

In the New Covenant ratified by Jesus we may suffer affliction.  Some is the consequence of our sin, some because we live in this world (John 16:33) and some because of persecution for the Name of Christ. (2 Corinthians 4:8-11) But God’s Word again, in the New Testament tells us that our affliction is only for a moment. “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;” (2Corinthians 4:17) In the New Testament, God no longer separates Himself nor does He punish us because of His anger toward sin. We may lose fellowship when we fall into sin, but fellowship is restored when we repent and receive forgiveness. (1John 1:9) There is no longer punishment for sin because Jesus took all our punishment. “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.” (John 3:36) If we have believed on Jesus, the wrath of God for our sin is no longer on us. In the Old Testament the punishment for sin worked for their repentance and return to God. For us in the New Covenant, affliction works a spiritual good. Paul wrote: “And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.” (Romans 5:3-5)

We are in a different dispensation in the New Covenant.  It’s a dispensation of grace, God’s undeserved favor. And as the psalmist wrote, His favor is life. It’s life eternal in Jesus. In the Old Testament, they heard it, they believed it, they received the Truth of it, but I don’t think they fully understood it. Some did have a revelation of life when the Messiah would come or life in Messiah Who was to come Who was in heaven at the time.  David and some of the prophets wrote about it. Luke wrote in Acts: “Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne; He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.” (Acts 2:29-32)

In our affliction we may weep, but because it’s only for a moment, we know even during the affliction, that joy will come. Our affliction may be like night till morning or longer, but this promise is that it will pass and joy will return. Joy may return in this life or the next. But there is hope that it will pass.  The severity and length we don’t know.  But the certainty that it will pass is promised. In our affliction, we know it’s working God’s work in us. No longer is it punishment for our sin. But it’s for our joy. And it’s for life eternal.