“Then shall the young women rejoice in the dance,
and the young men and the old shall be merry. I will turn their mourning into joy;
I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow.” (Jeremiah 31:13, ESV)
I know of many who are now going through times of great distress. Some have severe relationship issues. Their hearts are broken. Some have lost loved ones and are grieving the loss. Some have lost all their earthly possessions. Some are dealing with the prognosis of a terminal illness. Yes, times of sorrow come to all at some point. It seems the unavoidable reality of life.
I guess there was a time when my attitude for people going through these times of sorrow was quite immature. I thought to metaphorically shake them and get them to snap out of it. Yet that was before I experienced life’s trials and as a pastor carried the burdens of so many.
In this passage of Jeremiah, the prophet is seeing the devastation of Jerusalem, the destruction of his people, tthe loss of life and suffering. He grieves over what he sees. He grieves because it was so unavoidable. If only the people had listened but they would not. Yet there was a remnant of the nation preserved by God. The nation had a future and a hope that was unshakable. It was found in the providential power and promise of God.
A time was coming when the Lord would “turn their mourning into joy” and would “comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow.”
After Jeremiah heard the complete message from the Lord, the Scripture stated, “At this I awoke and looked, and my sleep was pleasant to me.” (Jeremiah 31:26, ESV)
Jeremiah was encouraged by the word of promise. There were a future coming restoration of the nation and the land.
Today, many are going through very deep waters. Unlike the nation of Israel, many of these are not due to the self-inflicted wounds of apostasy as seen in the nation of Israel. However, whether the trials of life are self-inflicted or not, God has a future for all believers.
“Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.” (Psalm 30:5, ESV)
There is a time to come for all of God’s people when mourning will turn to joy. The trial very difficult but there is a time when it will end and then a time of joy will break through.
Paul wrote “that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” (Romans 8:18, ESV)
Renewing the Heart 