Psalm 30:5
‘…Weeping may last for the night. But a shout of joy comes in the
morning.’
I was walking with a friend who was recently widowed. She mentioned
this verse to me and we talked about the dark time of grief and how God
does promise us that joy will follow a time of weeping. As Christians I hold
tightly to the idea that God will walk us through our difficult times and that
joy will once again emerge for us.
My mother suffered from heart disease and crippling arthritis. When I
was a young child I remember that she would lay on her bed with ten
pound sand bags on her back to relieve her pain. Yet Mom would often
proclaim the joy that she felt from her time with the Lord. She would use
her bedridden time to read her Bible and devotions. She was a mother to
three active children, a wife, and a social worker who commuted forty
minutes to work each way. For Mom, the time she was needing to rest
and heal was turned into a much needed quiet time. Dad would often
cook for the family during these times and we kids would help out as we
could. Mom would call us into her bedroom to visit or read with her. I
remember as a teenager that she shared a book entitled ‘Joy in the
Morning’ by Betty Smith.
Sharing this verse with my friend brought back precious memories of
my mother. God will walk us through our dark times and we will once
again experience joy.
The Lord of Grace Prayer Team is always here to help you with any
prayer requests you may have. The Prayer Team continues to pray over all
prayer petitions sent our way, including the requests entered in the prayer
journal in the narthex. The team will also continue to offer individual
prayer times after each worship service on the 4th Sunday of each month.