Pastoral Pings (Plus) ~ The Joy That Waits for the Shadows to Pass

          The world-famous Psalm 23 describes a person’s journey through something that could only be characterized as “the valley of the shadow of death."[1] While the experience included evil, the psalm-writer was not afraid because his Shepherd was with him. He went on to describe his life as an amazing banquet that his Shepherd had set before him in full view of his enemies,[2] and declared his faith that goodness and mercy would follow him all the days of his life.[3]

          This reminded me that there are experiences of joy that wait for us on the other side of the valley of the shadow of death. There is painful perseverance for a moment that will take us to that place where there is “fullness of joy” and “pleasures forevermore."[4] There is a way in which the suffering of the present time will take us into a glory that is not even worth comparing to what we might have to endure in the foreign land of the world.[5]

          While it often may feel difficult to believe, there is a joy in seasons of abuse, slander, and persecution that comes to those who have already felt the poverty of their spirits, mourned the painful ugliness of their sin, meekly resigned themselves to their utter inability to do anything to fix all that they have done wrong, and hungered and thirsted after the righteousness they see in Christ.

          By surrendering to the work of God to lead them down into such deep and dark realities of the soul, they have come to experience the satisfaction of the righteousness of faith to such an extent that they now become the merciful who freely show mercy to those who wrong them, and sin against them.

          Their experience of the gospel of Jesus Christ gives them a new heart that is pure and undefiled, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.[6] Their single-minded, Christ-centered, gospel-saturated purity of heart transforms them from fear-based weaklings into love-based peacemakers who are driven to proclaim the gospel of the Prince of Peace to a world that has stones in its hands. They do this because they know that there is no greater reward in life than bringing people into the life of peace with God through the Lord Jesus Christ.

          Because of their relentless activities of living as children of light,[7] the world of people who prefer darkness because their deeds are evil[8] persecute, revile, utter all kinds of evil, and speak falsely against such people on account of the Lord Jesus Christ they love.[9]

          However, by the time these people have journeyed through the transforming work of their Lord and Savior, they are able to experience the blessing of rejoicing in their trials. They now have the capacity to consider it all joy when they go through all kinds of trials because these trials do such a work of transformation in their lives that they end up “perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."

          While David’s Psalm 23 shows how his Shepherd led him from deadly shadows to blessed joy, he also wrote, “Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.”[10]I have seen this happen in a few hours, where a sudden tsunami of grief was followed by such soothing comfort from the word of God that I have been “returned to joy” by the time I am ready to face the day.

          I have also seen this stretch out over years as a painful journey through long-hidden childhood experiences caused the sorrows of the night to drag on somewhat indefinitely, but led to experiences of healing that felt like a morning of joy after a nighttime of weeping.

          What encouraged me this morning was the reminder that one runs the race for the sake of the prize.[11] We endure now in order to enjoy then.[12] We travel through the terrifying storm-tossed seas to get to know the Savior who calms the wind and waves.[13] We endure the death of Lazarus our dear brother in order to get to know the One who is the Resurrection and the Life.[14]

          There are times in life when everything appears so dark and foreboding that we cannot personally imagine it ever being light again. In such times, there is the still voice of God that says, “joy comes in the morning." And our hearts that long for fullness of joy, and the pleasures that are eternally at our heavenly Father’s right hand, take one more step through the valley of the shadow of death, for Immanuel is with us,[15] and his rod and staff, they comfort us more than words can tell.

© 2014 Monte Vigh ~ Box 517, Merritt, BC, V1K 1B8 ~ in2freedom@gmail.com

Unless otherwise noted, Scriptures are from the English Standard Version (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.)

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[1] Psalm 23:4

[2] Vs 5

[3] Vs 6

[4] Psalm 16:11

[5] Romans 8:18

[6] Ephesians 4:24

[7] Ephesians 5:8; Philippians 2:15; I Thessalonians 5:5

[8] John 3:19

[9] Matthew 5:10-12

[10] Psalm 30:5

[11] Philippians 3:12-14

[12] Cf Hebrews 12:2 in the example of Jesus our Savior

[13] Luke 8:22-25

[14] John 11

[15] Matthew 1:23

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[1] Vs 5

[2] Vs 6

[3] Romans 8:18

[4] Ephesians 4:24

[5] Ephesians 5:8; Philippians 2:15; I Thessalonians 5:5

[6] John 3:19

[7] Matthew 5:10-12

[8] Psalm 30:5

[9] Philippians 3:12-14

[10] Cf Hebrews 12:2 in the example of Jesus our Savior

[11] Luke 8:22-25

[12] John 11

[13] Matthew 1:23