Joy after sorrow (III)

To bring us to a point where we can praise God in an attitude, Apostle Paul calls us to realize that in the end, all will be well. He said this realization should inspire us to rejoice now despite our troubles. Our case is like that of a child watching the replay of a football match. He has no reason to be anxious, because he knows the result already. We know the result of this game is called life already — there will surely be joy after sorrow; all things shall work together for our good.

Having realized that there will be joy in the end, we need not wait till the end to sing praise and give thanks unto God. We should refuse to be sorrowful even though bad things have happened to or around us. That is the Christian attitude to troubles of life. Job said,

Job 13: 15 Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.

David also said,

Psalm 23: 4 “Yeah, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

Thus, at a time of discouragement, David said to himself:

Psalm 43: 5 “Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; For I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God.

The hope that we have in Jesus Christ overrides and outweighs all our challenges and we should therefore rejoice in that hope (Romans 12: 12). There is this story of a Christian mother who lost her only son. After dropping the young man’s corpse in the mortuary, she called the church organist to come quickly. When the organist arrived, she handed him the hymnbook and pointed to the piano:

“Please keep on playing only hymns of praise,” she begged the organist.

When the party arrived — those who wanted to come and help and cry, or who wanted to come and amplify her sorrow, they were disappointed. Instead of the sound of weeping, what they heard were songs of praise. When they asked why she was not weeping, she answered them,

“The devil wanted to see me cry, that is the food for my tears. I am not going to give the devil his food. Rather, I’m going to offer God His food despite my situation. That’s why I’m singing songs of praise.”

When things happen, how do you feed: God or the devil? If we realize that all things work together for good to them that love God (Romans 8:28), then we shall rejoice and thank God in advance at all times of sorrow. We shall say to God, “Father, I know you are bringing something good out of this”. And surely, that which we thanked God for shall become reality in our lives.

TO BE CONTINUED

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