Trouble Don’t Last

Psalm 30:5

For His anger is but for a moment, his favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night but joy comes in the morning

Sometimes it seems that trouble will never end, especially when we’ve done something to cause the trouble. It's one thing to suffer because of something you’ve done right, but it’s a whole other thing to suffer because of something you’ve done wrong. David knew both instances of trouble, but he also knew that God was able to deliver him out of both.

In 2 Samuel 24, David numbers the people, particularly the fighting men. He wanted to see how many soldiers he had. It seemed harmless but it provoked the anger of God because David put his hope in chariots and swords not God’s power and word. This seems to upset God more than David’s adultery with Bathsheba. David starts to rely on his own power, his one million soldiers, than he does God’s sovereign power. God sends an Angel to strike the people with a plague for three days and kills 70,000 people. God looks down and relents. David sees the Angel with a sword dripping with blood suspended between heaven and earth. David builds an altar in the threshing room floor to sacrifice to the Lord to stop the plague. The owner offers to give David the Oxen, the wood instruments for the fire and the wheat. Normally this gesture would have been taken as a compliment. Normally someone of David’s stature could have demanded that the man give him these things. In a National crisis like a plague that killed 70K people, you would have thought David would have said, “Yes give them to me.” But David says, “No I don’t want you to give me anything. I caused this. I will not offer God anything that doesn’t cost me something.” Whatever it is that we caused, we should pay for it not somebody else. Our family, our team, our people should not have to suffer for our bad decisions. We should not sit back and expect other people in church to give while we sit back and eat off of their sacrifices. If we ever needed to make a sacrifice and give, now is the time. Maybe this recession could end a lot sooner if we gave God something that cost us and not put the burden on somebody else to give. After David’s sacrifice, God stops the plague.

When I read Psalm 30:5 it makes sense why David wrote it.

1. His anger is but for a moment. After three days of seeing his people die God relented. God is like a loving father and he doesn’t like to discipline his children and he doesn’t want to see us perish. When we love him, he can’t stay mad at us. That’s why he said, “If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and heal their land.

2. Favor is for life. Favor is when God works on your behalf to do for you what he does for nobody else. Just because you have favor doesn’t mean you can do anything without consequences. It just means that because of relationship trouble won’t last always.

3. Weeping may endure for a night. There will be times when things go south because of persecution or disobedience, but the good news is that it won’t last always.

4. But joy comes in the morning. Right now I hear the birds singing outside my window at 6:11 a.m. Last night I was ridiculed by a local DJ but this morning I’m being serenaded by God’s creation. Last night I was threatened by a disgruntled individual, but this morning I’m comforted by his presence. Trouble don’t last always.

Dear God, thank you for not allowing my night to make me mess my morning. Your mercies are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness. Morning by morning, new mercies I see, all I have needed your hand has provided. Trouble don’t last always. If I’ve done anything to disappoint you, forgive me and bring me back into your will. Keep me in your hand I pray.

In Jesus Name.
Amen.