October 6, 2019

For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favor is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning (Ps. 30:5).
 
    Let us remember that the brevity of God's anger here is a sign of His mercy.  Our Father is a God who is ready to pardon the iniquity and to pass by "the transgression of the remnant of his heritage" (Micah 7:18).  The affliction that He permits are in some way for our good.  As someone has said, "Tears clear the eyes for the sight of God and His grace."  Even then He keeps a record of our grief, for it is written by the psalmist: "Put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book?" (Ps. 56:8).
 
    For all believers, the way into light leads through darkness, and often the darkest hour is just before the dawn.  But every night is followed by a morning, every sunset by the light of day.  The last night the children of Israel spent in Egypt was a dark night, but the morning found them on their way to the Promised Land.  It was a dark night for the disciples and all the world when Jesus lay in the tomb, but it was followed by the light of the glorious resurrection morning, and that light has been shining around the world to this very day.
 
                                When it is night, with shadows deep and still,
                                        And all the cloudy flags of day are furled,
                                However dark the hour, remember, friend,
                                        It's always morning somewhere in the world.
 
                                In the soul's night, when every star is gone,
                                        And love's bright chalice into fragments hurled,
                                Ah, heart, know this: The sun will rise again;
                                        It's always morning somewhere in the world.
 
 
MEDITATION PRAYER:  "Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee" (Ps. 139:12).