Daily Scripture

4 Sing to the Lord, you servants of his;

give thanks to his holy name.

5 For his wrath endures but the twinkling of an eye,

his favour for a lifetime.

Heaviness may endure for a night,

but joy comes in the morning.     (Psalm 30:4-5)

Daily Reflection

Who hasn’t gone to bed, worried and upset, maybe even tearful? Heaviness of heart is a universal human experience. But so is waking up, having slept on the worry, or upset, and feeling a whole lot better. The Psalmist, whoever he or she was, knows that feeling that ‘the whole world is against me!’ The remedy, it seems as if the Psalmist wants to tell us, is to give thanks to the Lord our God, sing to him and praise his holy name. Gratitude for all that is good in our lives helps us to put everything in perspective.

Our God is a loving and generous God, he doesn’t hold grudges or wants to punish us. Our hearts may be heavy now, but God wants to turn our “mourning into dancing”, yes, even more than that; he will “put off our sackcloth and gird us with gladness” (Ps. 30:11, paraphrased), if only we will let him. Will you turn to him today, grateful to be alive, to have your freedom and a peaceful country to call home?

Revd Ylva