Preached by Rev. Ed Brouwer at The Gathering Place, Osoyoos
Pulpit Series Volume 21, Issue 20 November 13, 2011
“You brought me up, O LORD, from the dead; you restored my life as I was going down to the grave... Weeping may spend the night, but joy comes in the morning.” Psalm 30:3&6
What a wonderfully encouraging portion of scripture!
Of course you must believe that this is more than nice poetry.
The faith the Psalmist declares represents an uncommon way of looking at life. It is a Rare Faith!
Our hearts are so often broken and our faces so often wet with tears. Terror, trouble and tragedy test our faith to the point that we toss it aside?
Let’s be honest with ourselves and with God. The psalmist was honest with God.
He not only confesses to God his despair and hopelessness through tears of anger and resentment and pain in the night; he also affirms his triumph over adversity when he rediscovers the faith that was there from the moment he first began to walk with the Lord.
There may be some who because of their hard life do not believe this verse. They are quick to sing “Wasted days and wasted nights”.
However this psalmist threw himself in his weakness into the Everlasting Arms Deuteronomy 33:27 and God did not fail him.
“He has turned for me my mourning into dancing”, he sings proudly. “He came, he declares, like a wise and tender nurse and removed my galling garment of sackcloth and decked me in a garment of gladness. And what God has done for me, he declares with assurance, he will do for you. Weeping may tarry for a night, but joy comes in the morning.”
This kind of faith keeps alive our hope. It enables us to carry on with patient courage.
As a firefighter and first responder, I have looked into the face of one who had committed suicide. It was a pathetic face, it was one of hopelessness. He had lost heart and gave up the fight. Friends, the night of weeping may be long and lonely, but joy is coming in the morning.
Not only will this faith give us hope it will be light to us during the night of our weeping. What is it that makes sorrow so bitter? Hopelessness. If we could only believe there is a cure, it wouldn’t be so hard. If there was but a little light at the end of the tunnel, it wouldn’t be so debilitating.
For instance, when my mom and dad were unaware of my whereabouts, whether I was alive or not, they were desperate. Then there is a postcard in the mail box informing them to read the story of the Prodigal son and that I would see them in the spring. A moment later, although my whereabouts was still unknown, the despair was gone from my parents’ hearts. A great joy had come in its place. And then when I did come home - they said they had expected me!
To those of you who are passing through a long night of weeping, I beg you to hear this message. Hear it, and your heart will sing. Joy is coming in the morning!
Psalms 37:23-25 “The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delights in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholds him with his hand. I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.”
Is such a faith possible for us who live in these trouble filled days? This psalmist had been suffering from some deadly disease. So close to the gates of death, he saw himself among the dead.
There are those who pray just as earnestly as this poet, who, in spite of all their prayers, in spite of the prayers of those who love them, go quickly down to death. There are others who go on suffering for long, torturing years.
But while God does not always see fit to give physical healing in answer to our prayers, He does something that may be even better. He gives an inner strength, a calm courage that enables the person to bear whatever load is laid on him.
I Corinthians 10:13 “God is faithful, He will not allow you to be tempted beyond your ability, but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, so that you may be able to bear it.”
Friends, God Himself gives in answer to prayer a quiet heart, an abiding peace and fullness of life.
We learn with Paul that God’s grace is sufficient and we too shout, “Most gladly, therefore, will I rather glory in my infirmities that the power of Christ may rest on me.” II Corinthians 12:9
Isaiah 55:12, 35:10 “For you shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap [their] hands; And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.”
“You brought me up, O LORD, from the dead; you restored my life as I was going down to the grave…. Weeping may spend the night, but joy comes in the morning.” Psalm 30:3&6
In closing, look with me at two people of Jesus’ day: Jairus, a leader of the synagogue and a woman hiding in the crowd. Despite the stark differences between these two characters, in essence their longing is the same…..to make contact with Jesus.
- What do you need that would lead you to Jesus?
- What would cause you to throw yourself at Jesus' feet to intercede for someone you love or for a cause you hold dear?
Both Jairus and the nameless woman show that healing begins with desire. And our longing must be persistent, bold, brave, unflappable and unstoppable.
Jairus ignores the people who tell him it's too late, his daughter is dead. The woman with the flow of blood ignores the jostling crowd, the social taboos that exclude her and the apparent hopelessness of her case.
The two of them persistently
- dare to ask
- dare to trust
- dare to hope
They are motivated by a rare faith that is
too stubborn, too steadfast, too humble,
a holy motivation fighting against all odds.
I invite you to imagine her weariness, how depleted she feels after these years of suffering and loneliness. If she could only touch His clothes - that would be enough! She has no right to be there. She would be chased away, or worse. But she pushes her way through the crowd, dodging, darting, hiding her face, and sneaks up on Jesus from behind. She stretches out her fingers and then - she does it! She touches Jesus' cloak! Instantly something happens in her body! Who knows what she feels?
Whatever the sensation, the bleeding stopped and she knows it. Her body is intact. She is whole. This healing takes place in an instant, in the blink of an eye and Jesus is immediately aware that power has gone forth from Him.
He turns asking, “Who touched my clothes?” The disciples, as usual are clueless, but Jesus continues to look around, and with fear and trembling, the woman comes forward, falls down before Him and tells Him the whole truth.
“Daughter,” He calls her, “your faith has made you well, go in peace!”
Just how desperate are you?
What would happen within you if you heard Jesus say to you, “Daughter/Son, your faith has made you well; go in peace”?
Jesus touches the untouchable. He touches the woman who is bleeding and the corpse of the little girl who has died. “Get up!” He says. “Arise!”
Jesus…..
- liberates the outcast
- cleanses the sinful
- restores the dead to life
In His name and sharing His Spirit, we are sent out to be like Jesus in the world, intending the best for everyone, wanting everyone to be touched by the divine love that knows no bounds, so that other people can know, as we do, that weeping may spend the night, but joy comes in the morning.
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