Joy after sorrow

THE Christian should have a positive attitude to problems of life. When bad things happen, the child of God should not say “I am finished!” He has hope in Christ Jesus; he should know that in Christ, all things have become new for him – so he cannot be finished! He should know that joy will surely and ultimately overtake sorrow in his life. As a Christian, he will have the last laugh. Meanwhile, he who laughs last, laughs longest. Hence Paul wrote to the Corinthian Christians:

2 Corinthians 4:13  We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak;

What do we speak?

2 Corinthians 4:17-18  For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

As a people of God, we must retain our awareness of this fact, so that the enemy of our souls is not allowed to steal our joy in Christ. There is nothing big enough or terrible enough to make you lose your joy in the Lord! Whatever may happen, the Christian must understand that all things shall ultimately work together for his good. On account of that understanding, you should be able to sing, “It is well with my soul” come what may. Don’t forget – it was a man who had lost a whole family that still sang that song. That is great trust in God.

The Bible describes the enemy of our soul as a thief. What does he seek to steal from us? One major thing the enemy tries to steal from us is joy – the joy of salvation. We see that in David’s case. When he sinned, what did he lose? What did he miss so much in his life that he had to beg God earnestly to give him that thing back? It was his joy. David said,

Psalms 51:12  Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.

Let us choose to remain joyful, despite the situations we are passing through. Let us rejoice because we have confidence that we shall always have the last laugh. Ultimate victory belongs to the child of God.

David had many troubles. But at the dedication of the house of David, he sang unto God:

Psalms 30:1  I will extol thee, O LORD; for thou hast lifted me up, and hast not made my foes to rejoice over me.

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It was in that same Psalm (Psalm 30) that David gave us that ageless word of wisdom that even non-Christians like to quote. David said:

Psalms 30:5  … weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.