This is part 5 of a 5-part series. View the entire series here.
Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning. – Psalm 30:5 NLT
At the start of this year, I made it my goal to keep a running list of small things that bring me joy. I have a note in my phone where I write down tiny little moments throughout my ordinary days when I’m reminded of God’s goodness and presence. Most of the things on the list aren’t revolutionary. Light and shadow on dining room wall during sunset is one of them. Ice cream run with sisters is another. But all of them are tangible reminders of the joy that can so easily be found if we open our eyes and expect to find it.
However, as we know very well, life is not all sunsets and ice cream—despite how much we might wish it were.
The Bible never shies away from acknowledging the reality of hardship and pain, but it also never denies the promise of God’s joy in the midst of it. John 16:22 demonstrates this beautifully: “So you have sorrow now, but I will see you again; then you will rejoice, and no one can rob you of that joy” (NLT). In this verse, Jesus is talking to His disciples, telling them about His imminent departure. He’s fully aware of how much His physical absence will grieve His closest friends, but He’s also promising His future return, when His joy will be made complete in all believers and His people will never have to be apart from Him again.
Though it may seem hard to believe, joy and pain can exist at the same time. Jesus is living proof of that. Hebrews 12:2 says, “Because of the joy awaiting Him, He endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now He is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne” (NLT). The joy of being reconciled with His children did not diminish the pain Jesus would have to go through to make it possible. We can find great comfort in knowing our Savior and Father understands the complexity of human emotions and never requires us to parse them out ourselves.
Grief and excitement can exist at the same time. Gratitude and uncertainty can exist at the same time. You can spend all night weeping over something you’ve lost or something you’re waiting for that you don’t yet have, and still wake up the next morning with a fresh outpouring of joy and hope.
When the Holy Spirit is alive and active in us, we have a solid rock to lean on in our hardest moments. We have faith that God will carry us through even if we can’t see a way out of our present circumstances. We trust that He’s for us even when everyone else seems to be against us. We have hope for the future even if the here and now looks irredeemably bleak. And we have God’s joy rooted deep in our hearts in the middle of it all.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank You for the joy I have in You, even when it doesn’t make sense. Thank You for creating me with the ability to feel so many emotions so deeply. That feels like an unbearably heavy burden sometimes, but I know that I never have to carry it alone. I look toward the hope of my eternal future with You, where there will be no more pain, tears, or grief. I love You, Lord. In Jesus’ name, amen.
