Psalm 30 Joy Comes with the Morning

As a Christian, I sometimes think that life should be rosy because I have God on my side. Well, the everyday experiences in my life have taught me that this is not the case. And King David expresses in this psalm the same conviction. He was attacked by foes, lived through desperate circumstances, and many times faced even death. Whether it be due to my own fault, or the fact that I live in a sinful world, or that God is testing me, no matter the reasons, difficulties in life will come.

As important as it is to understand that difficulties are part and parcel of life, it is also very important that I understand that there is an appointed time for the difficulties to end. The night will end with the morning. When morning comes, the darkness will be dissipated. Like David expressed it, it will be the day in which my mourning will be turned into dancing, my sackcloth will be replaced with clothing of gladness, my weeping will be turned into joy.

As a believer, I have the hope to see the morning light - the end of my difficulties, my troubles, my weeping. Morning may arrive in my lifetime or not. I may live many dark nights or one gloomy night for the rest of my life. But morning will come. One day, my Lord and King will come for me. He will not only put an end to my difficulties and troubles, but he will end injustice, pain, and suffering for all who believe in him.

While the night endures, I will cry out to the Lord. I will plead for mercy. I will remember the many times I have been delivered before and give thanks unto my Deliverer. I will trust that God is with me and that morning is coming soon, very soon.

Father, hold me while I walk in the dark night of trouble. Grant me endurance as I await the morning. Amen.

Joshua 7:10-26 The Sin of Achan

Abstaining from the devoted things is important in holy war. I can't expect to conquer the promised land or establish God's kingdom upon the earth if I desire the devoted things. Achan was enticed by a cloak and some silver and gold. But it can be anything that distracts me from my conquest. It can be money, power, greed, relationships, etc... anything! The devoted things belong to this world and are appointed for destruction. If my heart desires after them, I will partake in their destruction.

Much of the trouble in my life, I have brought upon myself for taking of the devoted things of the world. I think I can hide it and get away with it. Unfortunately, my sin has personal as well as corporate effects. Not only is my life entangled in trouble individually when I set out to embrace the sin of this world, but I bring down my whole church in a corporate fashion. In my individualistic thinking, I don't give a thought to the corporate effects of sin. The truth is that I render my church ineffective against the enemy. My battles become at best, self-reliant efforts to keep the enemy at bay. They are fruitless.

"You cannot stand before your enemies until you take away the devoted things from among you." Yes, we are sinners. But it is quite different to sin inadvertently due to ones sinful nature than to set out to defy the commands of the Lord. My fight with my wife hinders my prayers. My grudge against my brother hinders God's forgiveness for me. My sexual immorality taints the whole community once it comes to light bringing down my leadership and the whole ministry. Holy war is not fought alone. It is the effort of a whole community. My personal sin has corporate repercussions. I cannot stand to the enemy while living in sin.

The anatomy of sin is well described in Achan's confession: I saw, I coveted, and I hid. I downplay too much the role that my senses have in stimulating my desires. My eyes were given by God to enjoy his creation, but when I stare a little too long at things that stimulate ungodly desires in my heart, I run into trouble; sin is at hand. It gets further complicated when I refuse to come immediately to God. The guilt and the shame drive me away from God and I want to hide. God is omniscient and omnipresent, which means nothing is hidden from his presence. Yet, in my sin, I think that I can avoid God, even hide from him.

Consecration is key in holy war. If I want to conquer the promised land, if I desire to establish God's kingdom upon the earth, I must be solely devoted to God and his purposes. I must be single-minded. I can't be dividing my attention among many things - especially the devoted things. The consequences for taking, holding, and hiding devoted things are devastating. The devoted things will only add trouble to my life. 

Lord, give me an undivided heart that I may fear your name. Cleanse me of my sin. Help me let go of the devoted things of this world. May I be totally consecrated to you.