- Seeking Scripture - https://seekingscripture.com -

Joy in the Morning

When I was a little girl, I remember hearing and singing the song, “I’ve got that joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart.” I’m sure you know it and have probably sung it many times yourselves.

Joy is showing great pleasure and happiness. It makes my heart smile when I see a person full of joy. You can see it all over their face or hear it in the laughter of a little child who is exuberant with happiness.

I once knew a Bible-believing woman who didn’t like her birth name, so she went and legally changed her name to Joy. She loved the Father. You could truly see the joy in her face, and she lived up to her name.

Joy is one of the fruits of the spirit in the Father’s word. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness” (Galatians‬ ‭5:22‬ ‭ESV)‬‬.

Joy is the root word of rejoice. “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer” (Romans‬ ‭12:12‬ ‭ESV)‬‬.

Joy is more than the outward sign of smiling from ear to ear. It comes from a deep-rooted, spirit-inspired happiness. The Bible says, “The joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10 ESV).

The Hebrew word for joy is “rinnah.” It means “ringing cry of a humble request” or “ringing cry in proclamation, joy, praise.” It’s both a cry of prayer and a praise. It’s a powerful word and a powerful idea. It shows that joy is found not after pain, not after everything is made right, but in the midst of it. The only way this is possible is because of the work of the Father. He is the only one who can see and feel our pain and fill us with joy.

The word says the Father gives us joy and peace. It tells us that real joy comes from the Father and is ours forever. The joy that is found in the Father’s presence isn’t lacking in action; it transforms and regenerates us.

But sometimes life happens. The enemy tries to steal our joy. Some seasons of our lives are difficult. The pains we all experience are sometimes self-induced through our sinful actions or foolish indifference and may need the correction of our Father. Some difficult seasons are the result of the actions and indifference of others beyond our control.

“For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning” ‭‭(Psalm‬ ‭30:5‬ ‭ESV‬‬).

The chastening rod of our Father is short-lived, and the momentary correction we receive from His Fatherly hand is for our benefit and for training. That moment of correction will always be transformed into a lifetime of grace. Weeping may indeed last through the night, but joy comes in the morning. God’s anger lasts for a brief moment, but His grace and favor will last a lifetime. When we find ourselves in circumstances of our own doing and feel our joy fading, we need to reevaluate and search our hearts. It may be that we need to ask for the Father’s forgiveness. 

I also see a connection of Psalm 30:5 to the death and resurrection of Yeshua/Jesus on the stake. I can imagine the weeping and grieving of his disciples, his family, and followers as he was laid in the tomb. He was their master, best friend, son, and savior. It was truly a dark night in their souls.

They were hopeless. Afraid. Confused. Alone. ‭‭These emotions certainly overwhelmed the disciples, who had not yet come to realize the fullness of Messiah’s power or understand the scope of what He had come to accomplish on this earth.

The crucifixion was always meant to precede the resurrection. The tragedy on the stake, like any struggle we may face, becomes a temporary night with a glorious dawn already on the horizon.

In moments like these, the words of David carry even more meaning. “Weeping may last for the night, but a shout of joy comes in the morning“ (Psalm 30:5).

Don’t you know that a shout of joy did come on the morning of the third day with the resurrection of Yeshua/Jesus? That event in time would forever turn our mourning into joy. 

From that moment on, the tragedy on the stake was nullified in the joy of the resurrection, and any pain, struggle, or fear we may face is nullified in the hope we have in Messiah.

The Father is just and merciful. All of His discipline is necessary and helpful for us to follow Him and learn to walk in His ways. He hears our prayers as we cry out to Him, and He does answer them. It brings the Father joy when we obey, praise, and worship Him. I know that I want to please my Father and to bring joy to Him.

So, I don’t know about you, but I’ve got that joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart to stay!

About the Seeking Scripture Team: We are a group of believers from all walks of the faith, saved by grace alone through faith in our Messiah. While we are of one accord in many things, we are all works in progress and lifelong learners. Therefore the opinions of one may not always represent the opinions of all.