God gives laughter even when we think all hope is lost (Genesis 21:6). After twenty-five years of waiting, God had finally turned things around in Sarah’s favour. He is, without a doubt, the God who turns our mourning into dancing; who takes off our sackcloth and clothes us with gladness (Psalm 30:11). There is always Joy at the finishing line, and the man or woman who truly waits for the LORD is never disappointed.
It is common to see people give up at the brink of their visitation; just before their joy comes knocking. We should never forget that the enemy knows how to heat the furnace seven times more than it was intended to be heated just before our moment of deliverance. Faith in God tells us, that the furnace though heated is never enough to melt away the faithfulness of God. It tells us the darkness of the night hour is never sufficient to stop the appearing of the light of dawn.
There will always be morning after the night and with the morning comes joy.
This year may seem as one long night for many, a nightmare that many wished never happened. Thank God! No night lasts forever. There will always be the cross before the crown, the pit and prison before the palace and the vast barren desert before the land that flows with milk and honey. It is unlikely that the one who hasn’t first won a crown of thorns would ever qualify for a crown of glory.
If the year were truly viewed as one long night, then December would surely represent the hour of the night closest to dawn. It would represent the earliest sign of the rising of a new sun and the beaming of fresh hopes. God says to us that joy comes in the morning, not just joy but joy rooted in His favour (Psalms 30:5).
Understanding times and seasons is a distinctive attribute of the wise. This was what set the sons of Issachar apart from their brethren (1 Chronicles 12:32).
God wants our spiritual antennae to be high up, and our sensitivity to be at an all time high. The season we are entering into, is one of joy and blessings, spilling in an overflowing dimension into the brand new year right ahead of us. But only those who have eyes to see would see, and only those who have ears to hear would hear this sound of abundance of rain (1 Kings 18:41). Years of drought and months of emptiness can indeed end in times of refreshing from the presence of the LORD (Acts 3:19). But ahead of the sprouting of God’s promise for us, we sure have a critical choice to make. It is the choice either to continue to live as though we were still at midnight; a good long way before dawn or to live as though we were at the tail end of the final watch of the night. It is our choice to live either as though we still have a long wallowing in the dark to do or as though we are already at the fringes of a fine and beautiful morning. This is very important because how we see is how we receive.
God promises joy. This is great news and it is independent of whatever you may have gone through in the course of this year. It has nothing too to do with how good or terrible things are right now. God is capping the year for us with joy and it is spilling over to the coming year.
He expects that we approach His benevolence with gratitude. It may not seem like it, but that doesn’t in any way mean it will not become it. We must set ourselves as people ready to leap for joy in spite of what the present moments may look like. God is bringing light our ways, and with that light comes the joy of redemption from everything that signifies darkness. This is because the glory of the LORD is arising over us and we shall arise and shine. It is very imperative therefore, that we be deliberate about enriching our fellowship with the Holy Spirit. Let us be intentional about worship, the study of the word and prayers. Let us trust God that as we do this, we will experience the bliss and joy of heaven in our lives now and in the new year.
Remain blessed,
Pastor Jerry Orhue
Senior Pastor, Gracevine Chapel
More sermon notes available at https://gracevinechapel.org/notes-devotionals/
