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Sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn to joy

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Are you struggling with sorrows today? Overwhelmed with trials and troubles? Does it feel like you are drowning in the pains and sufferings of this life?

Is there hope? Scripture tells us that we may be sorrowful, but promises that our sorrow will turn to joy.

Sounds too good to be true?

Please take some time to ponder these passages, personalize them by hearing God speak to you specifically in them, plan ways to put these truths into practice, and finally, turn these Scriptures in prayers to God.

Let these passages bring comfort and encouragement to you.

Devotional: Scripture Readings

Read John 16:20

Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy.

Read Psalm 34:18-22

18 The Lord is near to the brokenhearted
    and saves the crushed in spirit.

19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
    but the Lord delivers him out of them all.
20 He keeps all his bones;
    not one of them is broken.
21 Affliction will slay the wicked,
    and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.
22 The Lord redeems the life of his servants;
    none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.

Read Isaiah 41:10

Fear not, for I am with you;
    be not dismayed, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
    I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Read 2 Corinthians 1:3-7

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 5 For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. 6 If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. 7 Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort.

Prayer for God’s Comfort

Father, we come before you today and thank you for the grace that you have given us in Your Son, Jesus Christ.

These passages speak of the sorrow that we are suffering. It tells us that we will be weeping and lamenting, but the world will rejoice. We will be sorrowful, but our sorrow will turn into joy.

In Isaiah, You promised Your children, Your presence. You would never leave us. You promised us a personal relationship with You. You are our God. You reminded us that You would strengthen Your children with Your power. You reminded us that You would provide for us our needs.

You tell us that You will preserve us, by Your grace, to the end. Help us to soak in those promises. Fill us with confidence in Your promises and with Your presence.

We pray those words over us even as we go through sad times. Help us to know the joy comes in the morning. Help us to know the joy is found in Your Son. Help us to rest assured that He has overcome the world.

The psalmist tells us that we can be like a deer panting for Your streams of water. Lord, help our souls to desire You. Help us to thirst for You. Help us to know our only satisfaction is found in You, the Living God.

As Your people, Lord, we cry tears day and night over the struggles of our lives. The times we question where You are. At times we feel like You have left us.

On the night Christ was betrayed, His disciples were fearful and overwhelmed. They were questioning why Your Son was leaving. They wondered what they would do and how they could have joy.

Remind us when we are cast down, we need to be preaching to ourselves. Remind us to hope in You and praise You. Remind us that You are the God of our salvation. Father, You call us to go deep in communion with You. The psalm says, “Deep calls to deep.” Why is it Lord, rather than going deep with You, we long to stay in the shallows? Help us to stand under the waterfall of Your grace. Remind us of Your steadfast love. In the night of our sorrows, help us to sing praises to You, for You are the God of our life.

God, You are our rock. Help us to find our security and foundation in You. Father, help us not to forget all these precious promises. We tend to forget what we should remember, and tend to remember what we should forget.

Remind us of the many times that You have taken us through. Remind us that you are the God of all comfort. Remind us that You are the Father of mercies. Remind us that every affliction that You allow us to go through that You have comfort for us in it and, You want to comfort others through it.

There is no random suffering. This sorrow is not happenstance. It is not haphazard. It is not by chance. You have allowed us to be afflicted so that we can share in the sufferings of Christ. Help us to look to Your Son’s cross. Help us to praise Him in pain.

Help us to know that our afflictions and sorrows open the door for the ministry of Your gospel grace. Help us to grow in patient endurance, as we suffer. Keep our hope from being shaken.

Father, we are hard-pressed on every side. We are afflicted in every way. But we are not crushed! At times we are perplexed and confused, but we are not driven to despair. For some of us we are persecuted, but Lord, please remind us that You will never forsake us. We may be struck down, but we are not destroyed.

Help us not to lose heart. Our physical nature may be wasting away, but our inner self is renewed day by day. Help us to see these afflictions as light and momentary when we balance them out against the weight of eternal glory. There is no comparison. Fix our eyes on what is unseen and what is eternal. And, let us not get overwhelmed with what we can see, because those things are temporary and passing.

Remind us that Your grace is sufficient for us. Remind us that Your power is made perfect in our weakness. Help us to see the power of Christ resting upon us. That in our weakness, we are strong.

Father, thank you for your great mercy. Thank you for causing us to be born again to this living hope. Thank you for the hope of the empty tomb. Help us to know that even in the sufferings of this life, we can rejoice. Remind us that it may be necessary for us to go through trials. Help us to know that our faith will be tested as genuine and will come out as gold.

Father, let it be the supreme passion of our lives to reflect and honor You. May Your church seek to honor You, display You, reflect You, and glorify You.

Mark Your church with joy in the midst of sorrow. Grow Your church in holiness, even as You are holy. Sanctify us in the truth. Remind us that Your word is truth. Fill us with a passion for Your mission. Your son came on a missionary journey. Remind us that we have a mission as well. Help us to be ministers of reconciliation.

We pray that the love of Christ compels us. We pray that we would be passionate about the ministry and the message of reconciliation that you gave us. Help us to be your ambassadors. Make your appeal through us. Call people to gospel freedom. May Your church be a church of unity. Unify us, Lord. Father, in the midst of all of our diversities, unite us. Help Your people make this the unifying passion of our existence, that we seek Your glory and we proclaim and display Your gospel.

So today, Father, open our ears, our eyes, and our hearts to hear your truth, to be satisfied in Your Son, to be filled with Your Holy Spirit, to be led by Your word, to bring glory to Your name.

In Your Son’s matchless and strong name we pray, Amen.

______________________________________________________________________________ 

About James and Lessons for Life

Are you longing to find answers to the deeper issues of life? Join Dr. James Long, Jr., a pastor, counselor, and university professor with over 25 years of experience. Hear James as he tackles some of life’s biggest questions and helps us find God’s solutions to life’s struggles. Learn the power of living by God’s grace and for His glory. Experience the joy of forgiveness and freedom found in Jesus Christ alone. If you are on a search for freedom, you will love being part of this conversation.

Subscribe, and enjoy the show! 

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