Sing praise to the LORD, you saints of His,
And give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name.
For His anger is but for a moment,
His favor is for life;
Weeping may endure for a night,
But joy comes in the morning.—Psalm 30:4-5
There are times in the midst of a trial…even a “ small” one that I can be like a two year old in that my mind thinks that I will never feel better again. No matter how many trials I have gone through my initial response is always the same. I whine, I complain, I angst, and I walk around as if my Immanuel was no longer on my side or at my side, convinced that whatever I am facing will go on forever.
I forget that God’s mercies are new every morning. I forget that His steadfast love never ceases. I forget that He does not afflict His beloved children willingly but always for their profit. I forget that His grace has been sufficient through everything I have faced. I forget His sovereignty. I forget His power and I forget that He who knows everything, is always with me. I forget that my very present help is in my midst. I cannot be moved.
But God (and a good husband and family) graciously remind me not only of His goodness but also where my courage will be found. Psalm 77, a psalm of Asaph, speaks my heart perfectly this morning.
Will the Lord cast off forever?
And will He be favorable no more?
Has His mercy ceased forever?
Has His promise failed forevermore?
Has God forgotten to be gracious?
Has He in anger shut up His tender mercies?
Selah
And I said, "This is my anguish;
But I will remember the years of the right hand of the Most High."
I will remember the works of the LORD;
Surely I will remember Your wonders of old.
I will also meditate on all Your work,
And talk of Your deeds.
Your way, O God, is in the sanctuary;
Who is so great a God as our God?
You are the God who does wonders;
You have declared Your strength among the peoples.
You have with Your arm redeemed Your people,
The sons of Jacob and Joseph.
Selah
What will last forever? Not our trials. They are ALWAYS but passing troubles. Romans 8:18 speaks of them this way:
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
What then will last…His everlasting kindness toward us, His children.
"For a mere moment I have forsaken you,
But with great mercies I will gather you.
With a little wrath I hid My face from you for a moment;
But with everlasting kindness I will have mercy on you,"
Says the LORD, your Redeemer.—Isaiah 54:7-8
Beloved…His favor is for life. Weeping may endure for the night but as sure as morning always comes so will our joy and comfort return again. We are, as believers, under His covenant of grace. His steadfast love toward us never ceases. His gifts never stop. We have been justified. We stand forever in His grace. (Romans 5:1-2) Matthew Henry says that the return of His favor to an afflicted soul is as life from the dead; nothing can be more reviving. If we have God’s favor…we have enough. It is the life of the soul. Within us is the earnest of life eternal. This morning then let go of fear and hopelessness and go to Him who will wrap you in His grace, shower you with His love, and give you His peace.
Sing praise to the LORD, you saints of His, And give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name.—Psalm 30:4
The LORD your God in your midst,
The Mighty One, will save;
He will rejoice over you with gladness,
He will quiet you with His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing."—Zephaniah 3:17
Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me!
For my soul trusts in You;
And in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge,
Until these calamities have passed by.—Psalm 57:1
Why are you cast down, O my soul?
And why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him
For the help of His countenance
O my God, my soul is cast down within me;
Therefore I will remember You from the land of the Jordan,
And from the heights of Hermon,
From the Hill Mizar.
Deep calls unto deep at the noise of Your waterfalls;
All Your waves and billows have gone over me.
The LORD will command His lovingkindness in the daytime,
And in the night His song shall be with me—
A prayer to the God of my life.—Psalm 42:5-8
Bless the LORD, O my soul;
And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits:
Who forgives all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases,
Who redeems your life from destruction,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,
Who satisfies your mouth with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.
The LORD executes righteousness
And justice for all who are oppressed.
He made known His ways to Moses,
His acts to the children of Israel.
The LORD is merciful and gracious,
Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.
He will not always strive with us,
Nor will He keep His anger forever.
He has not dealt with us according to our sins,
Nor punished us according to our iniquities.
For as the heavens are high above the earth,
So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him;
As far as the east is from the west,
So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
As a father pities his children,
So the LORD pities those who fear Him.
For He knows our frame;
He remembers that we are dust.
As for man, his days are like grass;
As a flower of the field, so he flourishes.
For the wind passes over it, and it is gone,
And its place remembers it no more.
But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting
On those who fear Him,
And His righteousness to children's children,
To such as keep His covenant,
And to those who remember His commandments to do them.
The LORD has established His throne in heaven,
And His kingdom rules over all.
Bless the LORD, you His angels,
Who excel in strength, who do His word,
Heeding the voice of His word.
Bless the LORD, all you His hosts,
You ministers of His, who do His pleasure.
Bless the LORD, all His works,
In all places of His dominion.
Bless the LORD, O my soul!—Psalm 103
