Good morning,
but joy comes with the morning. Psalm 30: 5
Saul, Israel's first king, started out well but soon found himself in trouble with God. He was tall and strong, but when told to do something that made him afraid, he adapted the directions he was given to protect his plans and his reputation. When God saw that good discipline wasn’t producing growth, he told his prophet Samuel to go and anoint another man to take his place. David, son of Jesse, was the youngest kid in his family, was busy taking care of his father’s sheep when a breathless servant told him he was to get home right away. He got home to find his father and brothers and the prophet Samuel all waiting for him. Before he knew what was happening, the prophet was pouring oil on his head, told him he would be the next king, and then the prophet left. Saul was still the king. Now what? What God did was begin a long and difficult series of growth challenges that had David learning the lessons of obedience that would develop this young shepherd into a faith filled man who knew what it meant to serve and love the God of the Universe.
David, the shepherd, loved to sing. He soon found out what the godly should sing about. He discovered that godliness was developed by faith in the face of his fears. His life was often at risk, but his God was always there. He learned that God’s anger lasts only long enough for the lessons to teach him the faithfulness of God. David was a sinner like the rest of us, but he learned that obedience led to a sense of God’s favor as he went on through life. David knew a lot about weeping, but he also learned that after the lesson was learned, joy would come with the morning. He learned the lesson that the writer of Hebrews learned that, No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! A mature relationship with our God requires a heart that is willing to change its ways of do things to God’s way, in God’s time and for God’s glory. David and any other effective child of God must learn to listen and obey if they are to learn the rest of the process. The outcome that the Lord is training us for is, a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way. (Hebrews 12:11) Now it’s our turn to sing God’s praises and trust his promises, or live like King Saul who tried to stay in control of his life and reputation. Dear Lord, please help us to learn from your discipline so that we will know the joy that comes with the morning.
Psalms 30:4 Sing to the Lord, all you godly ones! Praise his holy name. 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.
Roy Wisner
