A Minute Before Joy

I want you to take in for a thought today this situation. Follow me now, the time now is 5:59 am, and at this time, if one was listing they could hear the loud wailing of men and women crying. And they are crying because, three days ago, they witness the death and burial of their Lord and Savior. Understand from 12:00 pm (the 6th hour) to 3:00 pm (the 9th hour) they watch their hopes, their dreams, and their salvation; their everything hang on a roman cross. At 3:00 pm (the 9th hour), they watch their hopes, their dreams, and their salvation; their everything die right before their eyes. And after they buried Jesus, many of his love ones and his followers that witness this tragedy begin to say, “All is lost and there is no reason to continue on. Many could not bear the reality of everything that they depended on and loved so dearly was buried. To them there was no reason to live and because they believed, there was no reason to live; they begin mourn and cry, because they felt like all hope was lost.

Allow me to bring this story to home. Today somebody is still mourning and crying over past events. Let me bring it a little close to you. Have ever been so close to achieving a dream, yet it seems like you will never complete it and it does not matter how much closer you get to that dream; it seems like it farther and farther away. Or have you ever been so close to achieving a dream; and you watch it being crush right in your face. Have you ever had high expectations in someone, but your heart was broken because they fail to meet your expectations. Have you ever had so much hope in a love one or your child, yet they become an alcoholic or a crackhead. It seems like you cannot keep them out of the streets or out of jail no matter what you do. Have you ever lost someone who you loved dearly and they were your biggest inspiration in life. And it does not matter if it was by natural causes or by tragedy; the reality that they died and they will no longer be a presence in your life is enough to make you stop pursuing your goals in life and stop living. Are you working on a job where it used to be a joy to clock in, but now your dread every moment you clock into work. It seems like you can barely get along with your boss; and your co-workers always starting something. You are looking for a change, but it seems like this is the best thing going. Do you have a sinful habit that you come to the awareness of that it is hurting your family, but you cannot stop it no matter how hard you try. And the fact you cannot stop it is taking all of your joy and happiness away.

It is these situations that we go through is what David call in Psalms 30 our night. Understand that David was known as a man after GOD’s own heart, yet he is one the biggest sinners in the bible. Understand that David committed many sins before his adulteress act with Beersheba. Before Beersheba David was, a very arrogant man and he pride himself in war. He pride himself so much in war that started to believe that it was him that winning these wars and not GOD. Over the years David, develop into what we would call a killer. His pride in war was exploited in 2 Samuel 24. David became so confident in his strength and his army that he order a census to see the numbers of his strength and give it credit for winning wars. Instead of listening and depending on the word of GOD; he order the completion of the censuses. After the census, the word of GOD came unto the prophet Gad. Gad told David that he had committed a great sin against him by disobeying GOD’s order. Gad told David that he had anger GOD and now his life is depended on three choices:

1. There would be a famine in the land for seven years (explain)

2. Be continually on the run from his enemies for a full three months (explain)

3. Three days of a pestilence or plague in the land (explain)

David knew this was the word of GOD and he option not to make a choice, but to replace him and his kingdom in the hand of his Lord GOD. David knew that GOD would have mercy on him. David knew that if GOD allow man to come into his kingdom that man would have as much mercy on him as he had in war. And that was none. But he knew that GOD mercy endured forever. That is why David was rejoicing when he saw the plague upon his because he knew that GOD mercy was upon them and with the mercy of GOD on his side, he knew that his enemies could not plot or plan fast enough in three days to do any harm. This period of tribulation that David was going through, even though is lasted for a full days, he call it a night. He called it a night because this was a dark time in the kingdom, but this plague was here for only three days.