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- Oct 26, 2007
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The young women will dance for joy, and the men--old and young--will join in the celebration. I will turn their mourning into joy. I will comfort them and exchange their sorrow for rejoicing. Jeremiah 31:13 NLT
The people of Israel were in trouble. Their sin, and unwillingness to turn from it, resulted in a national time-out. They needed to think about what the good God had done and their unwillingness to acknowledge His instructions. They enjoyed His blessings but turned their back on the blessing giver.
The prophet Jeremiah shared God’s message about a future transformation. The people would first enter a time of sorrow. Their lives would be defined by trouble. However, when sin was removed as their go-to response, then God would restore their lost joy.
A great companion verse is Psalm 30:5, “For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime! Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.”
Grief is something you have experienced at some point in your life. It is a season of sorrow and trouble, but it doesn’t need to last forever. If it requires a turning from moral failure, do it. If it requires learning from God’s Spirit, listen. If it requires leaving bitterness behind, don’t look back. Joy may be on the way.
Prayer: Dear God, sorrow comes because of decisions I make, but it can also come from life circumstances I would not have chosen. Help me see through the darkness to the dawn of Your joy.
The people of Israel were in trouble. Their sin, and unwillingness to turn from it, resulted in a national time-out. They needed to think about what the good God had done and their unwillingness to acknowledge His instructions. They enjoyed His blessings but turned their back on the blessing giver.
The prophet Jeremiah shared God’s message about a future transformation. The people would first enter a time of sorrow. Their lives would be defined by trouble. However, when sin was removed as their go-to response, then God would restore their lost joy.
A great companion verse is Psalm 30:5, “For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime! Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.”
Grief is something you have experienced at some point in your life. It is a season of sorrow and trouble, but it doesn’t need to last forever. If it requires a turning from moral failure, do it. If it requires learning from God’s Spirit, listen. If it requires leaving bitterness behind, don’t look back. Joy may be on the way.
Prayer: Dear God, sorrow comes because of decisions I make, but it can also come from life circumstances I would not have chosen. Help me see through the darkness to the dawn of Your joy.
