Monday 6 February 2017

Will There Really be a Morning?


Nights were harder for my mom. Perhaps the encroaching darkness worked to heighten her fears to a new frenzy and strangle out the little hope she held on to.  

But for me, mornings were the worst.

Mornings, with bright sunshine heralding in a new day, are supposed to bring fresh hope, good news... relief. But each morning, I would dread opening my eyes as the harsh reality sank in.

In the days following the tragedy, I remember trying to catch up with my November Scripture Writing Plan from The Felicity Bee, a focus on Thanksgiving & Gratitude, no less. I would read the scripture, highlight it in my You Version bible app and meditate on it as I carefully wrote it out in my journal. But when I came upon Psalm 30, I struggled.
You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent. LORD, my God, I will praise you forever. Psalm 30:11-12

And that wasn't all... as I read more of the Psalm I found this...

'...weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.' Psalm 30:5

Yep, I knew about the weeping, but the rejoicing, I couldn’t envision it yet.

All I could think of at that time was - 'Will there really be a morning?'


Perhaps, you’ve been there. You have gone through or are going through some trial in your life, something unexpected, something you’d rather not have to go through, and you’re wondering will it ever really end. Will you ever feel joy again?

For days, I refused to highlight the passage, yet alone write it out, but I kept coming back to it. I knew in my heart, that I could trust God... that despite my feelings there really will be a morning.  A time when I can once again look upon the mercies of my Lord, which are new every morning, and rejoice.

And so, somewhat reluctantly, I highlighted my verse and thoughtfully wrote it out.

And then I trusted God and waited.

And as I waited, I prayed.

I prayed for my mom, for my family, for all those God laid upon my heart, that we would be comforted by His presence through the watches of the night and that we would once again see the beauty of the mornings.

I thought about the patriarchs of the bible, Jesus even, who would rise early to meet with God. And I noticed something, in good times and in tough times; God was always there. I started to see more clearly - Life is hard, but God is here, and when we meditate on the truths of His word and lean into His presence, we can catch glimpses of that morning... that morning when all will be well.

So, my friend, here are a few more morning messages that swell with hope. God in His mercy has filled His word with them. Perhaps He knew how much we would need them... how much we would need to find solace in His promises of a new day to come.

Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life. Psalm 143:8
In the morning, LORD, you hear my voice: in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly. Psalm 5:3
But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble. Psalm59:16
Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days. Psalm 90:14 
Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22-23
I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning. Psalm 130:6
He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being instructed.  Isaiah 50:4b

These mornings, I’m rising early and I’m meeting with my God. And I’m finding more and more reasons to rejoice in His word and His world. I share in this post photos taken by my mom who, thankfully and in answer to prayer, is able to peek through the pain and find the beauty of the mornings once again.

My friend, I know right now, you may be experiencing ‘nighttime’, a slew of dark circumstances that you just can’t seem to shake, but God’s love is unshakeable and His presence never leaves us. Take heart, be of good courage and lean into Him; there will be a morning.


Perhaps you’ve caught sight of it already and the hope of it keeps you going. Why not share that hope with someone today? Someone who desperately needs to believe that '...weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.' Psalm 30:5

And even though we might only grasp snippets of that bright, sunshiny joy on our journey here below, God has promised that one glorious day He will come again, and in the light of His presence it will always be morning.

Now, isn’t that something to look forward to?

Casting Crown's 'Glorious Day' is a song that reminds us of that day. It captures the hope and beauty of the gospel message beautifully. I've included a video (from Joe Hohman) for your enjoyment and I've just added the song to the 'from dust towards the heavens' playlist. Hope you enjoy.

Blessings, 
Carlie


Also sharing this post on Encouraging Word Wednesday over at MississippiMom.com

24 comments:

  1. I've been praying Ps. 143:8 since college and it hasn't failed me yet, even when it's dark or scary. bless you this rainy afternoon! may you sense His raining down of love and hope.

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    1. Thanks for the encouragement, Sue! Blessings to you, as well!

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  2. Carlie, such a beautifully written, filled-with-encouragement post. I'm sorry about your mom but thankful you're willing to share this difficult time for the hope of others. I experienced a similar path when my dad died. But oh, when the "morning" comes, there truly is joy. He turned my mourning into dancing in a way far beyond me. We serve a good, good God. #raralinkup

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    1. Thanks for the kind words of encouragement, Kristi, and for the hope-filled reminder that God really does keep His promises.Blessings to you!

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  3. I'm glad you are spending time with the Lord each day, Carlie. Exchanging grief for joy. His joy truly does come in the morning. Visiting from #RaRaLinkup

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    1. Thanks, Kelly! Yes, this year I'm all about recapturing joy!

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  4. Thank you for all the hope-filled morning messages, Carlie. I'm so sorry about your mom. I love her photos! Yes, sometimes it's so hard to believe joy will come in the morning. Emily Dickinson's poem really speaks of that longing, doesn't it? May we cling to the truth that His compassions are new every morning! Blessings to you!

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    1. New every morning... yes that is such a sweet truth! My mom is taking delight in her photos again, I'll let her know you enjoyed them. She'll be so encouraged. Thanks, Trudy!

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  5. Powerful words from Scripture for us to form our prayers around! Thank you!

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  6. I wish you had warned me how many tears I would shed reading this one. I still struggle to come to grips with the pain and the loss but I remember that God's hope is always there. I'm glad that Mommy finds hope too as she looks up to our Father to see us through losing him. God is good all the time, and all the time, God is good. I remember that still.

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    1. Sorry, Marv, perhaps I should have warned you. As we both know, the thoughts are always near, and they tend to spill into my writing and times of reflection often. Thankful for God throughout it all.

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  7. Beautiful images. Beautiful words. Thank you for blessing and ministering to us with this post!

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    1. I'm glad you were blessed by this post, Stacey. Thanks so much for visiting and for your kind words.

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  8. Such an encouraging and hope filled post. Thank you for reminding us all that God is always with us, comforting us and giving us the strength. Powerful post. Blessings to you and your mom!

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    1. Oh, thank you, Joanne! Yes, I couldn't imagine what it would be like if I didn't have His presence with me. Thanks for your kind words; I really appreciate your encouragement!

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  9. Beautifully written post! Visiting from #sittingamongfriends

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  10. Thanks, Sarah! So nice to have you visit!

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  11. What a beautiful post so full of hope! Thank you for sharing this and encouraging my weary soul today.

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    1. Glad you were blessed, Ronja! May we always remember His mercies are new every morning. Blessings to you!

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  12. This post is beautiful, and so is your honesty. What a message of hope you've written here! Thank you. And, thanks for sharing your post at <a href="http://mississippimom.com/encouraging-word-wednesday-light-world/>Encouraging Word Wednesday</a> this week!

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    1. Glad you liked it! Thanks for hosting the link-up!

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  13. Beautiful Hope-filled post that encourages us all to hang onto Jesus even when tragedy and hurt abound. He has not abandoned us and will help us embrace the truth that "joy comes in the morning." Thank you.

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    1. You're so welcome, Karen. I'm glad you were encouraged! I have definitely felt God's presence throughout this tragedy and wanted to share that hope with others.

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