JOY COMES IN THE MORNING (This Too Shall Pass)

Psalm 30:5
"Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning."

"Anyone can give pep talks, but if God is who He claims to be, He sure as shootin' better have a word for the despondent. Self-help manuals might get you through a bad mood or a tough patch. But what about an abusive childhood or a debilitating accident or years of chronic pain or public ridicule? Does God have a word for the dark nights of the soul?

He does. The promise begins with this phrase: 'Weeping may last through the night...".

This is not news to you. But this may be: 'Joy comes with the morning'. Night might delay the dawn, but it cannot defeat it. Morning comes. Not as quickly as we want. Not as dramatically as we desire. But morning comes, and with it comes joy." (Lucado, p.118, Unshakable Hope)

One of the great Biblical examples of this journey through our nights of life to the mornings of life is illustrated through the life of Mary Magdalene and her relationship with Jesus. Mary had battled many demons in her life, but when she met Jesus those demons fled with just a few words of rebuke from Jesus. From that day forward, Mary devoted her time, energy, resources - basically her life - to Jesus.

Is it any wonder with the freedom she now experienced that she would stick closer to Christ than white on rice? We find her at the Crucifixion (John 19:25). She aided in the preparing of the body for burial after Jesus was lowered from The Cross. And Max says it best like this - 

"On Friday Mary Magdalene watched Jesus die. On Saturday she observed a sad Sabbath. When Sunday came, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb to finish the work she had begun on Friday." (Lucado, p.119, Unshakable Hope)

As she approached The Tomb, to her, what was already a bad weekend - now got worse. The stone that only could be moved by strong men (plural) which was in front of the tomb entrance was now moved aside - shock to the system #1. No body on the slab inside the tomb - shock #2. Add to this two strangers, one at the foot of the slab and the other at the head of the slab (really angels) asked Mary, "Why are you weeping?" Now, come on, really? Where have you been these past few days guys? And why are you sitting inside this tomb? That would be me. 

However, Mary must have been so overcome with grief and despair that she answered the men/angels - "They have taken away my Lord and I do not know where they have laid Him." So, whoever "they" were - robbers, gardeners, practical jokers or whomever - they had taken the body of Jesus. But just as she had given that grasp at plausibility - Jesus showed up, unrecognizable, in the doorway of His own tomb. 

Mary and the rest of the Disciples don't quite get The Mission and who they are dealing with in Jesus until The Resurrection. Mary wants closure, so here she is with a stone rolled away, empty tomb, strange men inside asking questions and another one that just showed up at the door with more questions. The man asked, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?" She thinks - to be sure this guy knows something or is the culprit himself and says, "Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him and I will take Him away."

"She didn't recognize her Lord. So Jesus did something about it. He called her by name. 'Jesus said to her, 'Mary!'. When she heard Him call her by name, she knew the source. In a second. In a pivot of the neck. In the amount of time it took her to rotate her head from this way to that, her world went from a dead Jesus to a living one. Weeping may last through the night, but joy...." (Lucado, p.121, Unshakable Hope)

She latched herself onto Jesus. Wouldn't you?!!! "We don't know how she held Him. We just know she did. And Jesus let her do so. Even if the gesture lasted for only a moment. Jesus allowed it. How wonderful that the resurrected Lord was not too holy, too otherly, to divine, too supernatural to be touched. The regal hero is relentlessly tender." (Lucado, p.122, Unshakable Hope)

So - "Do what People of the Promise do. Keep coming to Jesus. Even though the trail is dark. Even though the sun seems to sleep. Even though everyone else is silent, walk to Jesus. Mary Magdalene did this. No, she didn't comprehend the promise of Jesus. She came looking for a dead Jesus, not a living one. But at least she came. And because she came to Him, He came to her." (Lucado, p. 126, Unshakable Hope)

 Psalm 30:5
"Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning."