Joy and Sadness

I am sad today. What led me to looking for joy this month were some sad things at the end of the year. Today I had some sad news, some sad circumstances, sad situations. It seems that every gathering I was a part of had some sad tinge to it today. I think sometimes it's just like that. And that's when I need to search for the joy even more.

I thought back over this day and past days. The one thing that came to mind over and over is the book of Psalms. I've been reading through the Psalms this month, 5 psalms each day. Often when I think about the book of Psalms, I think of praise to God. After all, the book is a book of songs.

While there are shouts of praise, there are also lines of lament. There are confessions and confusion along with the adoration and adulation. Words of worship and worry, comfort and crying, thankfulness and thoughtful questions.

I noticed that even in the times of lament, praise and joy leak through among the verses. And in my times of sadness, I can see the spark of God's joy peeking through.  The shadows of my sad situations enhance the glow of the joy that comes in even the smallest packages.

Can there be joy in the lament? He turns the lamenting into joy.

Why am I so depressed?
Why this turmoil within me?
Put your hope in God, for I will still praise Him,
my Savior and my God. (Psalm 42:11)

Today's Joy: The lament that heightens His joy