NIGHT SORROWS, JOYFUL MORNINGS

Joy is a net of love by which you catch souls. A joyful heart is the inevitable result of a heart burning with love

– Mother Teresa

Literally, joy is defined as being happy, glad and cheerful. It could be a very glad feeling, great pleasure and delight. It relates to exultation, satisfaction and deep sense of pleasure. The opposite includes: despair, misery, sadness, sorrow and unhappiness. These expressions describe wonderful emotions which is simply a state of mind. Incidentally everyone seems to seek happiness in varying ways and intensities. The pursuit of happiness is an innate drive found in every man’s nature, to fill the empty space inside – which is a search for meaning in life. It does not matter one’s class, race, tribe or exposure; whether male or female, tall or short, educated or ignorant, rich or poor and healthy or ill. Others seek happiness through music, art, athletic, dancing, fashion, status, alcohol and drugs as well as sexual pleasures. Still some people derive happiness by gossips, slanders, grudges, silly lies and ego as well as gains. Unfortunately not every one who desires happiness get happy; while others get happiness or pleasure in doing wrong things that are morally disaster or displeasure and hurting to other people? Such hurts include: murder, abuses, black mailing, robbery, destruction and causing pains.

People may laugh or keep a smiling face but that does not means they are happy or experiencing joy, inside. A laugh could be plastic and cheerful deceit. Little wonder the book of proverb says, sorrow may hide behind laughter and happiness may end in sorrow. Another version put it this way, that laugher and pleasure often hide grief and sorrow (Proverb 14:13). It may not express one’s inner feelings or show what one nurses in the heart. “Pursuing self centered pleasure will produce joy but the longest it could possible last is the grave.” However King Solomon opines that just because a person laughs does not mean he is biblical joyful. “Happy is the person who not only sings, but feels God’s eye is on the sparrow and knows He watches over me. To be simply ensconced in God is true joy.” – Alfred A. Montapert.

Biblical joy is a thrilling fruit of the spirit in us and gift of God’s Holy Spirit. It’s not a product of the natural mind. If indeed it is the product of the Holy Spirit, then pursuing it with natural mind will make it unreachable or non-achievable. In human beings, sometimes joy diminishes and eventually dies. No matter how secure the sources of our joy seems, we know joy does not last long. So many things could cause our joy to diminishes or end. These are: death in a family or loved ones, sickness, social calamities or tragedies and natural disaster, etc. If our health fails, we may loose our sense of reasoning; our brain becomes dull so we cannot see, hear, feel or smell as we once did. Even though we may fall short in conduct but God still rejoices over us. God’s joy does not come from mankind or circumstances of life. It comes from God and God is self existence; we can be joyful even when outwardly we are passing through grief or sorrow or difficult situations of life. As long as the Spirit of God remains alive in you, you can experience joy, renew joy and refresh joy as well as keep it on.

The biblical Greek term from Pauline expression in Galatians is ‘chara’– meaning joy, gladness, cheer or celebration. Another biblical joy has been defined to mean blessed as in the Beatitudes. From the Greek word “makarios” reveals the much more meaning of joy. “Makarios is one who is in the world yet independent of the world. His satisfaction comes from God and not from favorable circumstances.” Joy has been described as synonymous to “blessed, possessing the favor of God, that state of being marked by fullness of God. It indicates the state of the believer in Christ…….said of one who becomes a partaker of God’s nature through faith in Christ. The believer is indwelt by the Holy Spirit because of Christ and as a result should be fully satisfied no matter the circumstances.” Blessed could mean happy, to be envied and spiritual prosperous, satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation, regardless of their outward conditions.

Spirit home.com writes, “joy runs deeper than mere pleasure and is more enduring than mere fun and is more intense and thrilling than mere happiness.” In spiritual context, joy is the response to something deep to someone (such as God or a loved one) or something (such as being set free) supremely, even overpoweringly, wonderful.” Little surprised, Jesus said to His disciples, “I told you this to make you as completely joyful as I am” (John 15:11; 17:13). Also, Nehemiah said to Israelites, “Do not sorrow for the joy of the Lord is your strength” (Neh. 8:10). The bible tends to define joy by way of description rather than hold to a literal definition. The bible contains many portraits of joy which depends on the events or incidents or their description of occurrences and significance.

The Psalmist noted, “Weeping may endure for a night but joy comes in the morning” (Psalm 30:5). As human beings we may experience some sorrowful moments, grieves and unexplainable strategy. That is considered a night season. It could be liken to a woman who desires to have a baby but she is declared medically barren just like the cases of Elizabeth and Hannah respectively. A similar portrait is when women are in labor (John 16:21).  Another event is the Noah’s experience while the earth suffered the flood (Gen 8). For twenty five years Abraham and Sarah were in night season, looking unto God for the fulfillment of His promise of a son born of Sarah to Abraham. Samuel felt sorrowful when God rejected King Saul as the first king of Israel (1 Samuel 15:11; 16:1). King David and his officials, moved out of Jerusalem when Absalom, rebelled against him; the people of Jerusalem cried and mourned (2 Sam.15:14, 23). It was another night season for the prophet’s widow whose deceased husband owed a certain man. The creditor was on his way to take her two sons as his slaves and the widow cried to Prophet Elisha for help (2 Kings 4:1ff). King David seems to have understood the great God, Jehovah and said, “The God of Israel is like the sunrise on a cloudless day, or like rain that sparkles on the grass…………..God’s promise is complete and unchanging; He will always help me and give me what I hope for” (2 Sam. 23:4-5).

In the New Testament, series of sorrows abound but there all ended in joyful ends or praise. The Gospel of Matthew opened with the case of Mary and Joseph whose engaged spouse was found to have a baby by the Holy Spirit. It brought another sorrow portrait. Often a time, we never pause to ponder on the embarrassment and pains, shame and ridicules both passed through. It was so disgraceful that Joseph had planned to divorce Mary in a private ceremony (Matthew 1:19). It was also a night season when the couple was urged to carry the baby Jesus and escape to Egypt, an idol nation. This couple was poor and made that trip under difficult circumstances but for that God provided gold through the wise men that visited the new born king. An army officer’s servant was sick and about to die and the leaders of the city went to Jesus and begged Him to help the servant because the officer was a good statesman and deserved help; he loved the city and our nation and also built a place of worship for the people (Luke 7:1ff). Also, it was another night season in the case of the widow’s son in the city of Nain. The woman had lost her husband and shortly the only son has just died and the people were on the way to the cemetery through the city gate. The woman wept helplessly and Jesus showed up (Luke 7:11ff).

It was another portrait of night season for the disciples of Jesus as they were crossing the lake and suddenly, a windstorm struck the lake and the boat started sinking (Luke 8:22ff). Also, it was a night season when suddenly wine finished at the peak of the marriage ceremony in Cana of Galilee (John2:1ff). The death of Lazarus at the city of Bethany was a sad incident for the two sisters, Mary and Martha. Jesus was a close friend to the family. They sent for Jesus while His beloved friend was sick and he replied that “his sickness will not end in death. It will bring glory to God and His son” Four days after Lazarus was buried, Jesus showed up.  What a sordid experience? That was a night season for the two sisters and all the citizen of Bethany.

The greatest of the night season came when Jesus began His journey to Calvary in the Gethsemane. Jesus told his disciples in many ways and various occasions what He would be going through (suffering) but it appeared they did not get it. For example: Jesus said, “I tell you for certain that you will cry and be sad, but the world will be happy. You will be sad but later you will be happy (John 16:20). “……The son of man will be handed over to His enemies…………” (Luke 9:44b-45). “ …..but first He must suffer terribly and be rejected by the people of today………” (Luke 17:24-25). Again, in Luke 18, Jesus admonished the 12 Apostles in their way to Jerusalem, everything that the prophets wrote about the son of man will happen there (in Jerusalem). He will be handed over to foreigners, who will make fun of Him, maltreat Him and spit on Him. They will beat Him and kill Him but three days later He will rise to life (Luke 18:31-33; John 12:35-36).

The deepest night season came when Jesus was crucified on the cross, on a Good Friday. The crowd that gathered to watch the crucifixion was heart broken and went home disillusioned. They stood in a distance to watch the terrible sight. They did not know what to belief! One of the thieves had asked, “If you are the King of Jews, save yourself?” The question that nobody could answer was, “Would He rise again as He promised? If He doesn’t, what would become of His disciples and the great works He had done the past three years? Some would ponder this man who healed many people and cast demons as well as raised three dead people, would He not have the power of heaven to rise again to life?

The dawn or the morning means the coming of the Lord. The morning symbolizes changes in the heavenly reaction to the problems on earth. Here comes God intervention to what the earth has thought was impossible. On that great Sunday morning of the first Easter, the earth experienced unusual earthquake as God dispatched just an angel, who descended from heaven and came down; rolled back the stone from the door of the tomb and sat on it. Hallelujah, praise the Lord! The women met an empty tomb and the angel saw how terrified they were and said to them, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen as He said (Matthew 28:1ff). This is the great message of Easter. The women departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy……..

Again while the disciples were hiding behind closed door for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, Peace to you! He showed them His hands and His side. And when the disciples saw the Lord, they were filled with joy (John 20:19-20).