MONDAY 1 August, 2016
Joy Turned to Mourning
And Joab was told, “Behold, the king is weeping and mourning for Absalom.” So the victory that day was turned into mourning for all the people. For the people heard it said that day, “The king is grieved for his son.” - 2 Samuel 19:1-2
King David’s grief for Absalom had a negative impact on his people. What was a joyous victory for them had been turned into a time of deep mourning. Instead of tears of joy there were tears of sorrow. David loved his son, he had a legitimate purpose for weeping and mourning––nothing wrong with that, but it was also a time of great victory.
As king, David sent Joab, his chief commander, to war and he had successfully defeated Absalom and his army. But David needed time to grieve for his son. Joab was informed of the sad situation and would soon address the king, but there was no empathy, only God could console him.
In the book of Psalms, we see how David understood God’s character. He knew the Lord was not pleased with the sins he had committed in life but he also knew of His favor and forgiveness. He worshiped the Lord; the One who throughout his life turned his mourning into joy. He wrote:
…For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning…You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness…O Lordmy God, I will give thanks to You forever - (Psalm 30:5; 11-12).
Life can bring such sorrow––death is a deep grief, hard to bear. If you are experiencing a time of mourning know that in God’s time He will restore your joy.
You keep track of all my sorrows.You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.
~Psalm 56:8, NLT~
For more from Raul Ries, please visit Somebodylovesyouradio.org!
