The scenes of devastation and loss are truly heartbreaking. A current natural disaster is but the newest face of the brokenness of this present age. A flood of tears, beginning with paradise lost in Eden, continues to flow unrelenting today. But, a day is coming when they will cease.
"Weeping may last for the night, But a shout of joy comes in the morning." (Psalm 30:5)
No matter how bright the sun shines, we still live in a world of darkness this side of the kingdom of God. Weeping is all too characteristic of our times, whether in response to natural disasters, or the heartache and disappointment of loss.
The death and resurrection of Jesus is a picture of the weeping at night that gives way to the shout of joy in the morning. Jesus' dead body was hastily taken from the cross and hurriedly buried with the approach of night. No doubt there was much sorrow and crying that night. But, the morning of the first day of the week brought incredible shouts of joy when His followers encountered Him risen from the dead. And these events set the precedent for the shouts of joy in our future. Nighttime weeping will give way to daytime shouts of joy.
"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth ... And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, 'Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes'" (Revelation 21:1,3-4)
It's not enough that crying will cease in the age to come; God Himself will tenderly put an end to the flood of tears by personally wiping every tear from our eyes. Little wonder that the Psalmist could say, "For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for a lifetime" (Psalm 30:5). Preceding the tender scene of God wiping tears from our eyes is an awful scene of judgment and destruction of the wicked. But - praise God - that scene only lasts a moment. Our all-loving Father is not the sadistic torturer who subjects the wicked to endless agony, as some believe, for rather consigns them to merciful consuming destruction. And, following that moment of anger, His "favor is for a lifetime" - a lifetime longer than you and I can begin to imagine now.
The tears may flow today because of present pain, but we do not "grieve as do the rest who have no hope" (1 Thessalonians 4:13). We know that we are destined to shout for joy in the morning!
Steve
© 2011, Steve Taylor
"Weeping may last for the night, But a shout of joy comes in the morning." (Psalm 30:5)
No matter how bright the sun shines, we still live in a world of darkness this side of the kingdom of God. Weeping is all too characteristic of our times, whether in response to natural disasters, or the heartache and disappointment of loss.
The death and resurrection of Jesus is a picture of the weeping at night that gives way to the shout of joy in the morning. Jesus' dead body was hastily taken from the cross and hurriedly buried with the approach of night. No doubt there was much sorrow and crying that night. But, the morning of the first day of the week brought incredible shouts of joy when His followers encountered Him risen from the dead. And these events set the precedent for the shouts of joy in our future. Nighttime weeping will give way to daytime shouts of joy.
"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth ... And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, 'Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes'" (Revelation 21:1,3-4)
It's not enough that crying will cease in the age to come; God Himself will tenderly put an end to the flood of tears by personally wiping every tear from our eyes. Little wonder that the Psalmist could say, "For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for a lifetime" (Psalm 30:5). Preceding the tender scene of God wiping tears from our eyes is an awful scene of judgment and destruction of the wicked. But - praise God - that scene only lasts a moment. Our all-loving Father is not the sadistic torturer who subjects the wicked to endless agony, as some believe, for rather consigns them to merciful consuming destruction. And, following that moment of anger, His "favor is for a lifetime" - a lifetime longer than you and I can begin to imagine now.
The tears may flow today because of present pain, but we do not "grieve as do the rest who have no hope" (1 Thessalonians 4:13). We know that we are destined to shout for joy in the morning!
Steve
© 2011, Steve Taylor
posted by steve @ 9:32 AM
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