Today’s devotion is based on Week 3 of “Tough Love”: Delays Gratification! (WATCH HERE)
How long is this going to last?
We often ask this question when we are in the middle of a situation that is no fun. Severe illnesses lead us to ask, “How long?” Conflict at work leads us to wonder, “How long?” Challenges in our marriages make us think, “How long?” The pain of losing a loved one makes us contemplate, “How long?”
The challenging situations in life are not ones we enjoy. They are hard on our heart and bring tears to our eyes. We lie awake at night and are disrupted during the day. We think of ways out of the pain but no answer suffices.
We just don’t know how long we can last.
Jesus speaks to us another statement of blessing in Luke 6:
Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.
At first reading it might seem like Jesus is just telling you, “Get over it, this will pass.” But Jesus wouldn’t dismiss our sufferings. He wouldn’t make light of our challenges. He doesn’t dismiss them, but rather invites us to be in them with the hope and certainty that they will end.
Psalm 6 of King David is an example of a faithful follower of the Lord asking this very same question, “How long?” The situation is difficult, the pain real…but his confidence is also rock solid. Read it slowly and see if you can relate:
1 Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath.
2 Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am faint;heal me, Lord, for my bones are in agony.
3 My soul is in deep anguish. How long, Lord, how long?
4 Turn, Lord, and deliver me; save me because of your unfailing love.
5 Among the dead no one proclaims your name. Who praises you from the grave?
6 I am worn out from my groaning. All night long I flood my bed with weeping and drench my couch with tears.
7 My eyes grow weak with sorrow; they fail because of all my foes.
8 Away from me, all you who do evil, for the Lord has heard my weeping.
9 The Lord has heard my cry for mercy; the Lord accepts my prayer.
10 All my enemies will be overwhelmed with shame and anguish; they will turn back and suddenly be put to shame.
David was certain that his weeping and groaning would turn into laughing when the Lord overcame his enemies and those that stood opposed to him.
We can have the same confidence in the Lord. We live in a broken world, decimated by sin and the realities of evil. Suffering is real. Death is real. Hardship is real. But we navigate it not with hearts of hopelessness or answers found in addictions, but rather the calm confidence that our season of weeping will turn into an eternity of joy and laughter.
The Apostle John shares the glimpse he was given in Revelation 21:3-4 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
Blessed are those who weep now…for they will laugh.
How long? We don’t know when, but it will end in joy!
Apply: What challenge are you facing today that doesn’t seem to have an endpoint? Reread the statement of blessing Jesus gives. Face the challenge today, not with hopelessness, but with confidence that your Savior is with you and will ultimately bring laughter from this season of challenge.
Prayer: Lord, in your mercy turn our weeping into laughter. Give us hope in our discouragements and trust in our challenges. Keep our eyes focused on the eternal joys of heaven, even as we navigate the temporal challenges in our life. AMEN.