God Turns Mourning into Dancing

Read: Psalm 52:8-9

“But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation.” – Psalm 13:5

God will turn our mourning into dancing. He will remove our burden and pour out His joy upon us. Although our heart may fail us for fear about the future or grief over the past, as we look to God, our heart will sing joyfully to Him and not be silent, because of all the wondrous things He does for us every day. We will give thanks to our God forever, and in turn help others with the wisdom He imparts to us during this time of recovery (Psalm 30:11-12). However, it often takes planning on our part to open our heart to His healing love.

If we wait until the week before Christmas or some other holiday or anniversary, our negative emotions may overwhelm and debilitate us. It is wise to come up with a plan of action prior to special days and holidays, and not to wait until they trigger our feelings of grief and loss. Plan a party and set a place for your loved one. A friend of mine put a rose on an empty place setting for his deceased mother during his wedding reception. Or you can get together with others who experienced loss in their life and find comfort talking about your loved ones, sharing photos and stories and praying with one another.

God gives rest to those who are weary and heavy-laden (Matthew 11:28). He is our rock and fortress, our deliverer. We can take refuge in Him. He is a shield, which protects us from the darts of depression, and He is our stronghold and salvation (Psalm 18:2). He comforts us in our affliction and revives us when we can barely breathe, or hold our head up or even get out of bed (Psalm 119:50). As we follow a routine of daily Bible reading, devotion and prayer, we can bless our God and Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, for the mercies and comfort they give us during our affliction.

Our confidence in God does not disappoint us, because He pours out His love in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who lives within us (Romans 5:5). We rest our faith, knowledge and eternal hope on God who cannot lie (Titus 1:2; Hebrews 7:19; Acts 26:6). God knows exactly how we feel and He cares even if people do not. When our soul is sad, downcast and disturbed within us, we can put our hope in God and praise our Lord and Savior, even in the negative circumstances of our life (Psalm 42:11, 43:5). We wait expectantly for our blessed hope, the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus, the Messiah (Titus 2:13; Acts 24:15).

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, great is Your mercy and grace. You gave us a new birth with a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. You are our future and our inheritance, which can never perish, spoil or fade away (1 Peter 1:3-4). You know and care about what we have lost (2 Corinthians 5:11). We place our faith and hope in You, because You raised Christ from the dead and gave Him great glory (1 Peter 1:21). We share in His inheritance with all the Saints of God (Romans 8:15-17). Dear God of Hope, fill us with all joy and peace, as we trust in You.

Thought for the Day:

We will overflow with hope by the power of God’s Holy Spirit within us. - Romans 15:13

The God of Hope

Read: Proverbs 3: 5-6

“We wait in hope for the Lord; He is our help and our shield.” – Psalm 33:20

There is so much suffering in the world. From birth to death, life inflicts some of us with atrocities that are hard to fathom. This terrifying devastation is often more than we can bear. In spite of what we suffer, the God of Hope has a purpose for our life.

 

 

When our heart is sad, we can look to God for deliverance. We can praise Him again and again, because He is our God and Savior (Psalm 42:11). God collects every single tear that we ever shed in His bottle and records them all in His book (Psalm 56:8). Just imagine the size of that bottle and scroll! He cares about us so much that He sent His son to die in our place and to pay the penalty of our sins.

Life on this earth is merely temporal. After our last breath on earth, our next breath will be in eternity. Whether we go to Heaven or hell, we will spend eternity there. Remembering that Heaven is our eternal home gives Believers a new perspective on the heart-break, stress, confusion, loneliness, irritations and desolation we experience in this secular world. We face the consequences of discrimination, environmental disasters, false accusations, violence, lies, hatred, war, unfaithfulness and every immoral decision. However, God lives within us through every negative experience, and will help us to endure to the end with a song in our heart and victory in our walk (Matthew 24:12-13; Psalm 108:1; 1 Corinthians 15:57).

God also cares about every negative emotion, which infects our soul. He desires to replace it with the fruit of His Spirit. At times we are so wounded that we cannot hold up our head or take one step. Our lips have not smiled in years. However, the goodness of God is just waiting to fill our hearts and sustain us with His love. There is no need to turn away from God, entertain bitterness in our soul or plan a strategy of revenge against a sinful world that often overwhelms us (Proverbs 13:12). Through each trial, God gives us hope that provides a trustworthy anchor for our soul (Hebrews 6:18-20).

We come out of the circumstance stronger and more secure in God’s love. The Lord is our Helper, and there is no need for fear (Hebrews 13:6). He is the God of hope and He fills us with joy and peace, as we trust in Him (Romans 15:13). Paul and James both believed that it is actually possible to rejoice in our suffering (Romans 5:3; James 1:2). They knew the secret of growing through our tribulation. Through suffering, we have more empathy and grace for others, as well as humility in spirit and gratitude for everything that God does for us each day. Jesus Himself taught us that we learn obedience through the things that we suffer (Hebrews 5:8).

Even if the circumstances do not turn out as we hoped they would, we have the example of Biblical Saints who clung to their trust in the faithfulness of God (Hebrews 11:13). God prepared a home in Heaven for Believers, and we will live with Him there for eternity (Hebrews 11:15-16). When life attempts to pull us from God’s everlasting arms, we only need to snuggle deeper. He will never allow anyone or anything to rip us from His embrace. As we walk by faith, God uses us as a lift boat for others who suffer persecution or difficulties. We impart to them the hope that God gave us in similar circumstances. Their faith increases when we share our testimony with them.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, our hearts rejoice in You, because we trust in Your holy name. Your unfailing love rests upon us and we put our hope in You (Psalm 33:21-22). Our soul waits silently for You, because You are our hope. You are our Rock and Salvation, our Stronghold. Therefore, we will never be shaken (Psalm 62:5-6). We may have dreams and goals for our life, but You direct our steps (Proverbs 16:9). You maneuver us through the treacherous waters of life to put us in the right place at the right time to accomplish Your will. 

Thought for the Day:

God is with the broken-hearted and carries us through our troubles. – Psalm 147:3