Mourning to Dancing

March 5

Leviticus 25

Psalm 30:7-12

Proverbs 7:4-5

Mark 8

Mourning to Dancing

“Hear, O Yahweh, and be gracious to me;  O Yahweh, be my helper.  You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;  You have loosed my sackcloth and girded me with gladness, That my glory may sing praise to You and not be silent.  O Yahweh my God, I will give thanks to You forever.”  Psalm 30:11-12 LSB

We live in a fallen world and difficult times are common to everyone.  None of us escape this life without going through the pain of losing someone we love, being ill, having someone we trust hurt us, being rejected, feeling alone, not getting something we really want, and many other disappointing realities of human existence.  Unfortunately, being a Christian does not change that reality.  Jesus reminded us of this, “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace.  In the world you have tribulation but take courage; I have overcome the world.”  John 16:33 LSB  Our lives will have times of difficulty, sorrow and mourning.  The thing that is different for the believer in Jesus is that we have someone to turn to in the difficulty.  We have a helper.  He doesn’t always take the trials and pain away, but He walks through it with us, sometimes carrying us when we can’t walk on our own.  Psalm 46:1 tells us, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”  (LSB) He is our comfort, our strength, and our source of hope that we will get through the pain to the other side. 

            These verses promise that Jesus turns our mourning into dancing and our sadness into gladness.  Because we have hope in Him we know that nothing that happens to us here on earth can even compare to the amazing experience that heaven will be one day.  But David wrote this verse applying to his life while he was here in flesh.  He had experienced great sorrow in his life; being betrayed and hunted down by Saul, whom he loved and trusted, the humiliation of his sin of adultery and murder, the death of a child, and the betrayal by his son, Absalom.  He knew pain and heartache well. And he knew forgiveness, joy, peace and gladness as well.  Because he had experienced the depths of sorrow, he was able to experience the heights of joy.  If he had never known sadness, the gratitude and joy of a new day dawning would not be as sweet.  It is amazing that even in a season of difficulty, we can still have moments of happiness and delight.  I remember when my Daddy died, I was so overwhelmed by sadness and loss, but I also had a five-month-old baby that brought me times of great joy.  Several times, during those days I marveled at how I could feel so sad and experience happiness at the same time.  Those moments were a gift from my Savior to get me through the dark days.  God knows what we need in those difficult times to help us persevere and keep pushing forward.  And He knows how to turn our mourning into dancing.