November 26

Heavenly Alchemy

Truly, truly, I tell you, you will weep and wail while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. — John 16:20 BSB

Their particular sorrow was the death and absence of their Lord, and it turned into joy when He rose from the dead and appeared among them. All the sorrows of God's people will be transformed like this, even the worst ones that seem like they will forever remain sources of bitterness.

The greater the sorrow, the greater the joy. If we have a lot of sorrow, then the Lord's power will turn it into a lot of joy. The deeper the pain, the sweeter the pleasure: just like how a pendulum swings far to one side and then swings equally far to the other. The memory of our grief will make our joy even more precious. We'll compare the two, and the brilliance of the joy will stand out even more against the darkness of the pain that came before it.

Come on, my heart, cheer up! Before long, I'll be as joyful as I am gloomy right now. Jesus tells me that, through a heavenly process, my sorrow will be turned into joy. I don’t see how it will happen, but I believe it. I'll even start singing in anticipation. This sadness won’t last long; soon, I’ll be among those who praise the Lord day and night, singing about how He brought me through great afflictions.