“Weeping may endure for the night, but joy cometh in the morning.” Psalm 30:5
The call came in at 10:23 p.m. “My car’s been smashed; a speeding driver hit me broadside.” My first concern: Was anybody injured? What a relief! Only body damage to the vehicles.
“But my car is brand new. And I’ve never had an accident!” My daughter was crying on the line. I was miles away and the only thing I could do was offer words of consolation. I said that since the car was drivable and the police had already gotten all the information they needed, she should go home and get some sleep. Everything will seem better tomorrow, I told her.
Weeping may endure for the night, but joy cometh in the morning.
How many times have I quoted Psalm 30:5!
And it’s true. God has a way of casting things in a purer light when the sun rises.
Last year, as I lay in the neuroscience intensive care unit, with my head throbbing and nausea overtaking me in wave after wave, I thought: I just need to make it through the night. Joy will come in the morning.
And as the first beams of daylight peeked through the blinds, I smiled and I felt stronger.
It was the day after brain surgery, and I was finally able to keep down one of my pain medications and my headache was diminishing. God’s mercies are new each morning!
No night lasts forever. As little orphan Annie proclaims: The sun will come out tomorrow; you can bet your bottom dollar! Life may not be perfect, comfortable, or free of struggle, but in the midst of our pain and spiritual darkness, God is with us and working to bathe us in sunshine and to bring us new mercies,
As distressed as my daughter was, she hung on to hope and was able to see the light. She called the next morning and said her insurance company was taking care of everything and that the driver of the other car was OK.
God promises sunshine after rain. We just need to hang on and trust that the darkest hour means dawn is in sight.