Psalm 30:5 declares that although weeping may endure for a night, joy comes in the morning.
Perhaps, unsurprisingly, when this verse is quoted the emphasis often tends to fall on the joy that comes in the morning rather than the weeping in the night. And obviously there is wonderful truth in that hope. The book of Revelation points us to the great hope we have as those who trust in Jesus that there will be a day when God will wipe every tear from our eyes.
But for many of us the question is, in the midst of pain and tears, how ought we to respond while we wait for the morning to dawn?
Well over the past few weeks since I gave the sermon on Why do bad things happen? (you can listen to it here) I have been mulling over how the bible actually gives us words to use and words to hold onto in the midst of suffering and pain.
And I reckon one of the best places to go in the bible is in the Psalms. The Psalms are full of words of praise, thanksgiving, adoration, comfort, joy but also of sorrow, regret, pain, anguish and lament.
Psalm 13 is a Psalm of lament and I have found it really helpful in showing me a godly way to respond to suffering.
Have a read of the Psalm below:
For the director of music. A psalm of David.
How long, LORD? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
How long must I wrestle with my thoughts
and day after day have sorrow in my heart?
How long will my enemy triumph over me?
Look on me and answer, LORD my God.
Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death,
and my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,”
and my foes will rejoice when I fall.
But I trust in your unfailing love;
my heart rejoices in your salvation.
I will sing the LORD’S praise,
for he has been good to me.
There are 3 things this Psalm has taught me about how we can and should respond to God in the midst of pain and suffering.
Firstly, we can cry out to God with our questions.
I love how this Psalm shows us that crying out to God with our questions is ok. Four times David in this psalm cries out to God – How Long Lord? This lament psalm and many others show God wants us to be real and honest with him. God is the supreme listener who wants us to go to him with all our questions and anxieties.
Secondly, we should plead with God in prayer
David moves from his questions to pleading with God in prayer. David says, “Look on me and answer, Lord my God.” David wants his God involved in the situation he is facing. He knows that God is not distant but a God who is intimately involved in the lives of his people. So, David turns to him in prayer.
Thirdly, we are to remember and trust in the steadfast love of God
The Psalm ends with David not delighting in his circumstances but reminding himself of the God he trusts. A God who’s love is unfailing and steadfast. A God who has not failed him in the past and so can be trusted with his future.
So for us, whatever we’re facing let me encourage you to cry out to God with your questions, plead with God in prayer and trust in the unfailing love of God.
A love that came down to us in the person of Jesus. Love that took on our pain, and sin and brokenness. That is a God worth trusting in. That is a God who offers comfort and hope as we wait for the morning to dawn.
Grace and Peace
Paul