Morning Devotional 123021 Tears of Joy

Liz’s Morning Devotional based upon Upper Room

December 29, 2021

Read Psalm 30:1-12

1 I exalt you, LORD, because you pulled me up; you didn’t let my enemies celebrate over me. 2 LORD, my God, I cried out to you for help, and you healed me. 3 LORD, you brought me up from the grave, brought me back to life from among those going down to the pit. 4 You who are faithful to the LORD, sing praises to him; give thanks to his holy name! 5 His anger lasts for only a second, but his favor lasts a lifetime. Weeping may stay all night, but by morning, joy! 6 When I was comfortable, I said, “I will never stumble.” 7 Because it pleased you, LORD, you made me a strong mountain. But then you hid your presence. I was terrified. 8 I cried out to you, LORD. I begged my Lord for mercy: 9 “What is to be gained by my spilled blood, by my going down into the pit? Does dust thank you? Does it proclaim your faithfulness? 10 LORD, listen and have mercy on me! LORD, be my helper!” 11 You changed my mourning into dancing. You took off my funeral clothes and dressed me up in joy 12 so that my whole being might sing praises to you and never stop. LORD, my God, I will give thanks to you forever.

Good Morning! And joy returns in the morning!

Emotions are an integral part of who we are. Without emotions, our lives would resemble that of robots who walk through day after day, step after step, each exactly like the one before it. I have made the comment more than once that “I am an excellent crier.” For some, to see someone else shed tears makes them uncomfortable. I will most certainly join in and share the tears. At times in my life, I have been told that tears are a sign of weakness, but I believe that through my tears and sadness I gain strength as God cries with me and helps me move forward.

Over the past couple of years, I have been acutely aware of my need to work through my pain by confronting it head-on. To avoid things because you worry about whether you will have pain is to become like a computer, a non-being. Along the journey, to which God has called me, I often face triggers of sadness as I read Lowell’s favorite scripture or sing one of our favorite songs. I suppose I could just turn the page and try to forget, but instead, I read, sing, and cry. The tears are not from pain but borne out of joy as I remember.

Lowell and I grew up as Star Trek fans: Trekkies. I remember rushing home from Friday night grocery shopping to watch the iconic episodes on TV. Many years later when the movie series was produced, there was a movie that featured Spock’s brother in search of God. His brother had the ritual of “removing” the pain of others so that they might live in peace. Captain Kirk refused this process saying that “I need my pain. It is part of who I am. They're the things we carry with us, the things that make us who we are. If we lose them, we lose ourselves. I don't want my pain taken away! I need my pain!”

God calls us to live our lives fully, and as we cry, laugh, and live God will always be by our side, crying, laughing, and living with us. If we avoid our pain, we lose the ability to live because we only see darkness and fear. Each of my tears is a blessing and reminds me of the gracious and loving God that I serve. 11 You changed my mourning into dancing. You took off my funeral clothes and dressed me up in joy 12 so that my whole being might sing praises to you and never stop. LORD, my God, I will give thanks to you forever.

Creator God, Thank You for loving us. You are a loving and gracious God as shown by your gift of salvation. May we always remember the pain Jesus endured for our forgiveness of sins. Thank You. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen

Thought for the day: Sadness will come, but God’s gift of joy will follow.

Choose joy and live a life worth living! Pastor Liz