Joy in the Morning

In an instant, your darkness can turn to dawn. Life seems harder than we can sometimes bear, especially on days when we’re stunned by grief, worried about loved ones, or reeling from waves of trouble. We long for joy in the morning, but sometimes we’re in the darkest night. That’s when we should remember the old saying: “It’s darkest just before the dawn.”

According to 1 Samuel 30:6, David responded to his trouble by strengthening himself in the Lord. David was under incredible strain as his circumstances had gone from bad to worse. Yet he refused to give up. He knew how to strengthen himself in the Lord by shifting his attention from his hopelessness to his Helper.

Written by David, the three simple stanzas in Psalm 13 move from darkness to dawning to daylight. And that’s the pattern we need to follow as we encourage ourselves in the Lord.

Darkness

Psalm 13 opens with David darkly crying: “How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me? How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily?” (vs. 1–2).

David feared the omniscient God had forgotten him and the loving God had forsaken him. When darkness covers our lives, the emptiness seems to last forever. Emotional pain is the cruelest kind, and hopelessness is one of the cruelest kinds of emotional pain.

It’s impossible to always stay on the sunny side of the street because the sun moves as the world turns, and sometimes we land in the valley of the shadow of death. During such times, it’s best to pray honestly, like David, who cried, “How long, O Lord?”

Dawn

As we continue reading Psalm 13, we see David turn a corner in verse 3, as he continued, “Consider and hear me, O Lord my God; enlighten my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death; lest my enemy say, ‘I have prevailed against him’; lest those who trouble me rejoice when I am moved” (verses 3-4).

Though David felt abandoned, he knew better in his heart. His knowledge of God was greater than his emotions of despair. Despite his pain, he managed to pray, asking God to consider him and to hear him in his hour of need.

The night: It’s not permanent. We are not forsaken, not forgotten, not destitute, not detached. If we can lift our eyes heavenward and whisper a prayer in Jesus’ name, we’ll eventually see a glow on the horizon as the sun begins to rise with healing in its rays. The Lord has a way of imparting grace when we need it most.

The Lord gives grace from moment to moment; and as the hours pass, the darkness turns to dawn and the dawn to daylight.

Daylight

At the end of Psalm 13, David senses the possibility of rejoicing once again. “I have trusted in Your mercy,” he wrote. “My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, because He has dealt bountifully with me” (verses 5–6).

Because David chose to trust God’s mercy, he was able to say, “My heart shall rejoice… I will sing.” When we realize the darkness doesn’t last forever, we grasp a ray of God-sent hope.

You can strengthen yourself in the Lord. God hasn’t forsaken us, even though the darkest hours in our lives make us feel alone and forgotten. His sustaining care will turn the darkness to dawn, the dawn to daylight.

Don’t give up. It’s darkest just before the dawn.

 

Watch Turning Point with Dr. David Jeremiah on Inspiration TV.