When Morning Breaks
“Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.” (Psalm 30:5) Storms can bring unknown damage. They force us to seek shelter and buckle down. The past week we experienced massive rains and widespread flooding throughout our state. It was so bad that Susanne and I dug up our newly planted flowers to protect them from the heavy rains, only to re-plant them after the storms had passed. If we care so much for our inanimate plants, surely the Lord cares for His children.
For years I have noticed a beautiful phenomenon after heavy storms. That is, the birds and wildlife always seem to have a louder song and a more joyful reaction to life when the storms subside. I think the Lord uses nature to teach us about endurance and patience. As soon as the rains ended last week, I walked to the mailbox and the birds were singing so loud that they sounded like a well rehearsed chorus of heavenly angels. Their joy signaled the end of the storm.
One of the greatest lies that Satan hits believers with is that our storms will last forever and that our present plight in life is our permanent condition. He makes us short-sighted and we fail to see the horizon of God’s faithfulness and love. When the night of loneliness and pain bears down upon our soul we can be assured that joy is on the way. The sun will shine again, the birds will sing again, and joy will return. I found this true while going through my own personal valley of cancer, and I have witnessed it in the life of so many of my friends.
However, there is one question we can not avoid and we must face it head on. What happens when a loved one faces a storm that doesn’t end and that storm results in death? As Christians, are we only comforting those who are rescued but refusing to answer the tougher questions? We must be bold and real, and we must refuse to run from the tough questions.
My brother, Frank, passed away from cancer over a dozen years ago. I survived through the horrible journey of cancer. Did Frank get short changed? Did God fail him? Life doesn’t end with physical death. For the Christian, it truly begins at that point. God’s full plan is beyond our comprehension, but one thing we know—His ways are higher than ours and He has never lost a patient. Frank is experiencing life in the presence of God that I can only imagine. He understood more in the first five minutes after death than I could grasp in 36 years of study. Therefore, whether a storm ends in this life, or ends by ushering us into the next, for Christians, there is always a song of praise waiting. Like the birds after a storm, we will have true joy…when morning breaks!
