Welcome to another day the Lord has made that we should rejoice and be glad in. (Psalms 118:24)

Today the Holy Spirit wants to encourage us in the midst of Longsuffering.

Today’s scripture, Psalm 126:5 (KJV) promises…
[5] They that sow in tears Shall reap in joy.

Consider…
Maestro Richard Smallwood wrote a beautiful song based on today’s verse. The lyrics are…

Darkness will fall and tears will come
For all of these things comes to everyone
But in God’s Word, It’s promised to us
If you sow in tears you’ll reap in joy

Tears are for cleansing, stress and relief
Created by God just to give us release
They’re not in vain, for soon will come peace
If you sow in tears you’ll reap in joy

So don’t be afraid to cry
He sees your tears, He hears your prayer
Your mourning, He’ll turn to dancing,
This too will pass, your day is comin’
The tears may flow but don’t let go
If you sow in tears you’ll reap in joy

So don’t be afraid to cry
He sees your tears, He hears your prayer
Your mourning, He’ll turn to dancing,
This too will pass, your day is comin’
The tears may flow but don’t let go

If you sow in tears you’ll reap in joy
If you sow in tears you’ll reap in joy
That’s what the Word says
If you sow in tears you’ll reap in joy
If you sow in tears you’ll reap in joy
That’s what the Word says
If you sow in tears you’ll reap in joy
If you sow in tears you’ll reap in joy

Those beautiful healing words provide a new perspective to longsuffering, which is one of planting tears of joy.

This makes me think of a Frankie Beverly and Maze R&B chorus that says…

Joy and pain are like sunshine and rain

This dichotomy of joy co-existing with pain is hard to grasp. So I sought the Lord for wisdom, and gave me Jesus’ words in John 12:24 (NLT)…
[24] I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels—a plentiful harvest of new lives.

Through this verse, the Holy Spirit showed me the similar dichotomy of life sprouting from death. Then the Holy Spirit blew my mind by showing me the secret is temporal death and pain are merely God’s cocoons for eternal life and joy. 🤯

The Holy Spirit, we have to be buried in order to be raised. Romans 6:4 (NLT) explains…
[4] For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.

As I wrote this, the Holy Spirit emphasized, we must die to live. Galatians 2:20 (NLT) affirms…
[20] My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Similarly, we my share in God’s suffering to experience His glory. Romans 8:17 (NLT) confirms…
[17] And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.

These spiritual insights show me pain is temporarily concealing the joy that God is eternally revealing.

To better grasp this, the Holy Spirit led me to 1 Peter 5:10 (NLT), which explains…
[10] In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation.

Pain was, and is the pathway to glory. Like the workout saying goes, “no pain, no gain”.

That seemed wrong when I wrote it, until the Holy Spirit reminded me of Philippians 2:8-9 (NLT)…
[8] he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. [9] Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names,

Jesus had to go through the worst, be made His best. As siblings of Christ, we should expect the same. That’s why Jesus said in John 16:33 (NLT)…
[33] I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”

Jesus spoke these words to encourage us.

Thus, we can testify with 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (NLT)…
[16] That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. [17] For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! [18] So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.

The last verse reveals the key to finding joy amid our longsuffering, is look ‘beyond’, not ‘at’.

That makes me think of Hebrews 12:2b (NLT), which testifies…
[2] …Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.

You see looking ‘beyond’, focuses on being in God’s presence, whereas looking ‘at’ only sees the present.

This begs the question, where are you looking? Are you looking at Who is the source of your joy, or what is the cause of your pain.

The Holy Spirit’s closing thought to me is, we know the earth revolves around the sun. That means even though we don’t see the sun when it’s raining, or it’s dark, doesn’t mean the sun has stopped shining. Rather, it means our vision is just temporarily obscured. Therefore, if we keep looking up, eventually we will see the sun shining down again. The same is true with seeing the Son of God!

A bonus thought from the Holy Spirit, David walking through the valley of the shadow of death, means Light was overseeing his journey.

God is watching and leading us through the trials and sorrows of life.

Therefore, don’t miss God’s eternal Sonlight, because you’re soo focused on life’s temporary shadows.

Prayerfully, today’s post encourages you to see…
Longsuffering leading to joy is a matter of perspective. Focus on Who’s, rather than what’s, got you.

Today’s song is…
A Brighter Day

Blessings 4HG (1 Corinthians 10:31)