Going From Mourning to Morning
A huge challenge sometimes overlooked when encouraging someone who is standing for marriage restoration is to share words of faith and encouragement without seeming to invalidate or minimize their pain and anger, disappointment and frustration, and even the justification for these emotions. So it’s important to recognize and acknowledge that there is, and needs to be, a natural and unavoidable time of mourning when our husbands leave us, especially when they appear to be getting on with their lives with another woman. The depth of intense pain, disappointment, anger, frustration, confusion and rejection often seems unbearable and it’s something no one can come close to understanding unless they’ve been through it. And there is no set time for this grieving process, because it’s a process that varies for all of us. BUT there does come a time when we have to overcome all of those emotions. Otherwise, they will overcome us, and the devil wins! So, even though nothing I write or say, is ever meant to invalidate or minimize the pain or justification of the emotions experienced during times of marital despair, I wouldn’t be doing what the Lord calls me to do if I didn’t attempt to use the power and wisdom of His word to encourage others to go from their time of mourning to the morning of everlasting joy Jesus died to give us!
While searching for Bible references to morning, dawn and joy, I was surprised to see how many significant references there are, so the following are just a few to remind us and confirm that the Lord WILL be faithful to replace our time of mourning with joy in the morning! And IF we commit our way to Him and trust in Him, He will make our righteousness shine like the dawn and the justice of our cause like the noon day sun, just like Psalm 37:5-6 promises!
Isaiah 61:1-3, 7
The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion, to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor. Instead of their shame my people will receive a double portion, and instead of disgrace they will rejoice in their inheritance; and so they will inherit a double portion in their land, and everlasting joy will be theirs.
Psalm 30:4-5 (NKJV)
Sing praise to the LORD, you saints of His, And give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name. 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.
Psalm 65:8
Those living far away fear your wonders; where morning dawns and evening fades you call forth songs of joy.
Psalm 90:14
Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.
Proverbs 4:18
The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day.
Isaiah 62:1
For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, for Jerusalem’s sake I will not remain quiet, till her righteousness shines out like the dawn, her salvation like a blazing torch.
Isaiah 58:8-12
Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I. “If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.
Then another VERY significant verse we need to understand and take seriously, is Isaiah 8:20, because it says To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn. At some point in the process of getting from mourning to morning, we have to understand how critically important it is for us to guard our mouths and the words we speak, because they literally do have the power of life and death and we will eat the fruit of them for either life or death, just as Proverbs 18:21 tells us! And if we don’t learn to SPEAK according to the promises and testimony of God’s word, God will not be bound by the authority Jesus gave us to speak life into our marriages and the salvation of our husbands! So it’s up to us whether or not we choose to remain in a perpetual state of mourning or if we’re going to rely on the word of God and claim His power and promise to bring us everlasting joy in the morning! And when we get that and put it into practice we will experience the awesome promise found in Isaiah 35:10, which says and the ransomed of the LORD will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.
Joyce Meyer began a series of messages on grief and loneliness on her TV broadcast programs this past Wednesday, which I’d encourage anyone struggling with getting past the time of mourning, and the pain and disappointment of what’s happened in their marriage to watch. Even though Joyce doesn’t appear to promote standing for marriage restoration as we would, her messages are still helpful, because none of us are ready to truly STAND for marriage restoration until we’re ready to stand on our own two feet again through the power of our Lord and Savior and His word, and her messages might help someone still struggling to get there. You can watch all three messages at the following links.