Joy is coming!

I will never forget the time I was sitting in a doctor’s office with severe abdominal pain. Some testing was performed and I was waiting to receive the results. After what seemed to be a lifetime, the doctor entered the room with a sober face. He told me there was a huge mass on my left ovary and he thought it could be cancer. Surgery needed to be performed immediately to remove this suspicious growth. I felt numb after he told me the news. Many thoughts were racing through my mind. I had a three year old son at the time and I wanted to be able to see him grow up. I wanted to grow old with my husband. I became depressed and fear entered and wreaked havoc on my mind. I had no place else to go but to God.

There are many times in our lives when life just doesn’t seem fair. Maybe that downsize at work included you and now you’re wondering where your next paycheck is going to come from. Maybe your marriage is failing and nothing you do seems to be good enough. Maybe you are going through a health trial and worry and fear are cutting you to the core. Some of you may be worrying about your children. Others may feel like your ministry is dying and God has given up on you. Whatever you may be going through, God is going to see you through. It may feel like you are in the darkest season of your life, and your prayers are just bouncing off the walls, but I want to assure you today that God is working in your situation and the blessing is on the way. Psalm 30:5 says:

“Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.”

As sure as the light of morning comes, so does joy and comfort for one’s soul. During those times when you feel you just can’t go on anymore, remember “This too shall pass.” The pain and suffering felt today will not last forever. 2 Corinthians 4:17 says:

“For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.”

I am reminded of a woman in labor when I read this verse. We don’t like the process of giving birth. There is a certain amount of pain and travail involved in bringing forth the life of a baby. But as women, we know that if we can just hold on for a little while, our beautiful baby will be in our arms. As soon as the baby arrives, the tears of pain turn into tears of joy, and the feelings of “I can’t take this anymore!” turn into “Wow, look at my beautiful baby!” The joy of our blessing overrides the pain and travail of the labor.

The same thing holds true for our troubles. Blessings are being birthed through our momentary pain. Every tear, every cry, every fear is giving birth to some kind of blessing. There may be a season of travail and weeping, but your blessing is in the process of being birthed. It may not come in the way or fashion that you may think it should come, but it is coming. Hold on in your midnight hour because morning is breaking forth!!

When the day of my surgery finally arrived, everything went smooth and turned out good. God gave me the best doctors around. The mass was not cancerous and I did not need any further treatment. Joy and gladness flooded my soul! God showed up in my midnight hour and saved and delivered me from my fears. He heard my cry for help and showed up exactly when I needed Him. He is an on-time God!