Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes in the morning. – Psalm 30:6
Ah, friends. This was my momma. And she is holding the sweetest (turning slightly sassy in her older age) youngest. And there is joy – so much joy. Every once in a while I take the time to really contemplate this picture. There is so much joy happening in it: It is clearly a candid. There is a wedding about to happen. The bride and her bridesmaid are laughing and ready to walk down the aisle. My sweet little one’s fists are holding on tightly to her Grammy “Boogey”, and one sweet little fist is nuzzled into her safe space on her neck…and those curls – don’t even get me started. Joy. Joy. Joy.
And behind the camera is a woman staring and capturing a precious moment between her momma and youngest and silently weeping in the place only the Spirit can know because in the joy is knowing that the weeks left with her mom are short, very short. In fact, a month later, we would be saying goodbye.
But there are also tears of joy. Mixed in the sorrow is the joy of knowing that my momma would soon be at the feet of her savior. The weeping would in fact tarry for the night and sometimes even creep in years later, but the joy would also come every morning.
There are many people within shared space around me who are hurting. They are mourning the loss of their own loved ones, relationships, future plans wrecked by life. But that’s the thing about life: it happens. But in the happening and the different seasons, one thing remains steady – our God.
Psalm 30 may have one of the most quoted scriptures from the bible used by believers and unbelievers to lift and encourage one another: Weeping may tarry through the night, but joy comes in the morning (verse 5). But if you read through the entire Psalm, something even more important is happening here, David is walking us through seasons in life when we have great joy and great loss and yet, God still remains the greatest. There are 8 “You have” statements in this Psalm:
You have. . . lifted me, healed me, saved me, restored me, strengthened me, turned me, loosed my, & clothed me. . .
You have, Lord. In every season (joy and mourning), You have. In verse 11, David’s mourning turns to dancing and even his sorrowful garments are loosened for him to praise and be clothed in gladness.
This Psalm isn’t just for David or for me…it is for us. He wants to lift you, heal you, save you, restore and strengthen you, and turn that mourning to joy through shameless dancing and gladness. This is a reminder of Who God is…
In every trial and tribulation that happens (because life happens), remember: you are not alone. God is working…in every mo(u)rning. Go get those dancing shoes.
XOXO, Loni
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