Joy Comes In The Mourning 4 Dawn's Joy

 

Dawn’s Joy

 We’ve been through a difficult journey. We’ve walked through the valley of the shadow of death and considered spiritual death, the death of a loved one, and our demise.  Then we explored mourning, artificially dividing our grief into three sorts of phases, the title of those messages was Joy Comes In the Mourning.  On our website hbcc.life you will find these teachings for your review.  We would do well if we spent some time now examining what the Psalmist wrote instead of our play on words.  For the Poet wrote:

Psalms 30:5 (NLT)

Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.

 From m.o.u.r.n.i.n.g. we move to dawn, the morning. First some assurance for those that we loved who have died and what awaits the believer in death, a poem to remind us that life is eternal when our lives are in Christ.

There's a step that we all take alone

An appointment we have with the great unknown

Like a vapor, this life is just waiting to pass

Like the flowers that fade, like the withering grass

But life seems so long and death so complete

And the grave an impossible portion to cheat

But there's One who has been there and still lives to tell

There is One who has been through both Heaven and hell

And the grave will come up empty-handed that day

Jesus will come and steal us away

 

Where is the sting, tell me where is the bite

When the grave robber comes like a thief in the night

Where is the victory, where is the prize

When the grave robber comes

And death finally dies

 

Many still mourn and many still weep

For those that they love who have fallen asleep

But we have this hope though our hearts may still ache

Just one shout from above and they all will awake

And in the reunion of joy, we will see

Death will be swallowed in sweet victory

 

When the last enemy is gone from the dust will come a song

Those asleep will be awakened - not a one will be forsaken

He shall wipe away our tears - He will steal away our fears

There will be no sad tomorrow - there will be no pain and sorrow

 

[ Based on Hebrews 9:27, John 4:14, 1 Peter 1:24, Romans 8:11, 1 Corinthians 15:26, 51-55, Revelation 7:17.  Petra, “Grave Robber,” Not of this World, 1983.]

 Be encouraged by the truth, the dead in Christ will rise and we that remain will be caught up together with them (1 Thessalonians 4:17).  This is a Truth that births hope in every believer.  Which just begs the question:  “How does a person become a believer?”  There is no formula, ritual, ceremony, prayer, or rite to be performed.  There is no epic work to be accomplished, no heroic deeds.  Simply tell God that you want to believe that Jesus sets a person free.  Eventually, you will discover that you have faith to believe and a whole new way to live your life will open up to you.  It’s the life of Jesus within you.  Today is a good day, right now, to want to believe (John 1:12).  Let me know if you do.

 Psalms 62:5-8 (NIV)

Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.  My salvation and my honor depend on God he is my mighty rock, my refuge.  Trust in him at all times, O people pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.

Picking up where we left off in our Joy Comes in the Mourning teaching, we’ve gone through the darkest night of our lives.  We have suffered and grieved, embracing the pain.  In the dawn, everything is remembered but no longer do the memories cause us to shut down.  Our loved one is not forgotten, our memories are a treasure, and they honor the one we lost.  Oh, there are tears at certain times, moments of feeling the empty place in our heart, but we know that we are ok now.  Dawn’s Joy.

Psalms 143:5-6 (NIV) I remember the days of long ago; I meditate on all your works and consider what your hands have done.  I spread out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land.

We are creating a new normal, by appropriating the grace God gives to the brokenhearted and living life to the full, loving God, loving others, a world without the one you loved is now familiar.  We know that what was lost can never be recaptured.  We’ve surrendered to the situation, the “Why?” questions no longer haunt us.  We’ve stopped pondering the “what if and the if only” possibilities. “It is what it is” and we have accepted it.  We are experiencing a re-creation, not a restoration.  Dawn’s Joy

Isaiah 43:19 (MSG)  Be alert, be present. I'm about to do something brand-new.  It's bursting out! Don't you see it?  There it is! I'm making a road through the desert,  rivers in the badlands.

We are thinking clearly, making good choices.  We continue to adapt, to evolve, to grow.  We have engaged again.  Our loss has caused us to look honestly at ourselves (2 Corinthians 13:5).  We are creating a new identity based on what is now important to us.  We are making changes.  We’ve deepened some relationships, sidelined some old acquaintances, and made some new friendships. What matters most to us is the quality of the relationship we have.  So we find ourselves investing in righteous relationships, mutually beneficial relationships.   Dawn’s Joy

Psalms 16:11 (MSG)  Now you've got my feet on the life path, all radiant from the shining of your face.  Ever since you took my hand,  I'm on the right way.

We’ve grown closer to God, discovering for ourselves that He is an ever-present source of help in times of trouble.  We know the fellowship of sharing in His suffering (Philippians 3:10).  We trust again in His goodness.  We know that everything we have entrusted to God is safe (2 Timothy 1:12).  We’ve become spiritually strong, for me that spiritual strength came as a result of practicing the seven habits of a disciple.  That time spent reading the bible, praying, fellowshipping, servicing, worshiping, obeying, and especially those times of contemplating, those deep heart-to-heart conversations with God, was and remains, empowering.  Through these practices I encountered God.  It is good for us to share where we found God’s spiritual strength flowing into our life.  Dawn’s joy

 Isaiah 40:31 (MSG …those who wait upon God get fresh strength.   They spread their wings and soar like an eagle, They run and don't get tired, they walk and don't lag behind.

We’ve learned from our mistakes, the mistakes we made during our darkest of nights.  In God’s love, we found His forgiveness for our sins, so we, in turn, have forgiven ourselves.  That is glorious freedom, the burden or shame of our acting out has been dealt with.  In God’s love we have learned to be self-nurturing, for how can a person love others if they do not love themselves?  We’ve learned from our pain.  Suffering has made us stronger and wiser.  Our value system is transformed, we see what is worthwhile and what is not.  We are directing our life accordingly.  Dawn’s Joy 

Psalms 23:6 (MSG)  Your beauty and love chase after me every day of my life.  I'm back home in the house of God for the rest of my life.

Our confidence is restored.  We understand we are capable (Philippians 4:13). We’ve suffered greatly but now we are stronger than ever.  We are enjoying life again.  Our pain has given us a platform; our testimony has validity and carries weight.  We can even comfort others now that we have been comforted.  Our heart is elastic; it can stretch to hold our departed loved and now so much more.  We have created new goals, and new purposes, we no longer feel lost.  Life is worth living again.  Dawn’s Joy    

 Psalms 18:28-30 (NLT)  You light a lamp for me.  The Lord, my God, lights up my darkness.  In your strength I can crush an army;  with my God, I can scale any wall.  God’s way is perfect.  All the Lord’s promises prove true.  He is a shield for all who look to him for protection.

e are alive again.  We will forever carry the loss of our loved one in our hearts, yet still, we are living our lives to the full.  Our tribe may or may not have changed, but we are loving on others and accepting the love of others.  We are taking great care of ourselves.   We realize that we are accepted and belong, we have a place, we have a part.  We can venture out on our own and not feel alone.  We are using our God-given gifts to make the world a better place.  Our lives have a new significance because we are making a difference for others.  We are breathing deeply.  Laughing, singing, dancing are again a part of our lives.  We are confident of this we “will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living” (Psalm 27:13).  Dawn’s Joy.

Psalms 30:5 (NLT) Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.