Joy Is Coming Soon, I Promise Series

A. I’m sure that many of us are familiar with the musical Annie, about the optimistic red-headed orphaned girl named Annie, who is eventually adopted by a billionaire.

1. Before the happy ending comes, Annie and the other girls at the orphanage endure the abuse of Miss Hannigan, the drunken owner of the orphanage.

2. After a couple of attempts to run away from the orphanage, Annie manages to escape and runs into a friendly stray dog, and tells him of better days to come, and then she sings to him the song “Tomorrow.”

3. “The Sun'll Come Out Tomorrow, Bet Your Bottom Dollar That Tomorrow There'll Be Sun

Just Thinking About Tomorrow, Clears Away The Cobwebs And The Sorrow 'Til There's None

When I'm Stuck With A Day That's Gray And Lonely, I Stick Out My Chin And Grin And Say

The Sun'll Come Out Tomorrow, So You Gotta Hang On 'Til Tomorrow, Come What May

Tomorrow, Tomorrow, I Love You, Tomorrow, You're Always A Day Away

Tomorrow, Tomorrow, I Love You, Tomorrow, You're Always A Day Away”

B. So, do you like the song “Tomorrow?” I do.

1. Perhaps you think it is too sappy and simplistic.

2. Are you more like Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh who is so gloomy and pessimistic, and says things like, “If it is a good morning, which I doubt” and “It’s all for naught”?

3. I’m not trying to promote optimism or pessimism, but I do want to promote faith in God’s promises which give us real hope.

4. The promise that I want us to explore and embrace today is God’s promise, “Joy is coming soon, I promise!”

5. Where does that promise appear in the Bible, you might ask? Let’s look at Psalm 30:5: “Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.” (NLT)

6. Life is full of moments that are very hard and bring us to tears, but those dark times and heartaches can eventually bebsoftened and lifted by the joy of the Lord.

7. God makes this promise available to all people, but not everyone knows the Lord and even those who know the Lord don’t always cling to His promises.

C. Amanda Todd was the Canadian teenager who became an unwitting spokesperson for despair at the age of 15 after a predator had convinced her to pose topless for a photo.

1. The predator later blackmailed her with threats to circulate the picture if she didn’t reveal more, but he posted the photo anyway.

2. Humiliation rained down on Amanda like a summer thunderstorm.

3. From the high school hallway to the internet highway, Amanda became the laughingstock of her circle.

4. Previously, Amanda had been a fragile and private person, and now she retreated even further.

5. She avoided friends and stayed home, but she still couldn’t escape the texts, calls, and stares.

6. For 3 years Amanda was stalked and taunted – she descended into drugs and alcohol, she cut herself, and she even tried to take her own life.

7. Finally, in an act of desperation, she posted a nine-minute video on YouTube, and using flash cards set to a sad song, she recounted her months of horror.

8. The video image shows only the lower half of her face and written messages, including: “I have nobody. I need someone. My name is Amanda Todd.”

9. A month after posting the video, Amanda attempted suicide again and this time she succeeded.

D. Max Lucado writes so effectively about Amanda’s situation, saying: “If hope were a rain cloud, Amanda Todd lived in the Sahara Desert. She searched the skies for a reason to live and found none. Does God have a promise for someone like her? He’d better. Anyone can give pep talks, but if God is who he claims to be, he sure as shootin’ better have a word for the despondent. Self-help manuals might get you through a bad mood or a touch patch. But what about an abusive childhood or a debilitating accident or years of chronic pain or public ridicule? Does God have a word for the dark nights of the soul? He does.”

1. That word from God that I’m pointing you to today is Psalm 30:5 – let’s read it in a number of translations and see that no matter the translation, the truth comes through loud and clear.

2. Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning. (NLT)

3. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning. (ESV)

4. Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning. (NKJV)

5. Weeping may last for the night, But a shout of joy comes in the morning. (NASB)

6. Weeping may stay overnight, but there is joy in the morning. (CSB)