Carried Through

Made it to the end of the second week of September it's FRIDAY! as we take a moment to reflect on these words of wisdom Read: Psalm 30:1–12 Bible in a Year: Proverbs 3–5; 2 Corinthians 1 Weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.—Psalm 30:5 I recently stumbled across some of my journals from college and couldn’t resist taking time to reread them. Reading the entries, I realized I didn’t feel about myself then the same as I do today. My struggles with loneliness and doubts about my faith felt overwhelming at the time, but looking back now I can clearly see how God has carried me to a better place. Seeing how God gently brought me through those days reminded me that what feels overwhelming today will one day be part of a greater story of His healing love. Psalm 30 is a celebration psalm that similarly looks back with amazement and gratitude on God’s powerful restoration: from sickness to healing, from threat of death to life, from feeling God’s judgment to enjoying His favor, from mourning to joy (vv. 2–3,11). The psalm is attributed to David, to whom we owe some of the most pain-filled laments in Scripture. But David also experienced restoration so incredible he was able to confess, “Weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning” (v. 5). Despite all the pain he had endured, David discovered something even greater—God’s powerful hand of healing. If you are hurting today and need encouragement, recall those times in your past when God carried you through to a place of healing. Pray for trust that He will do so again. —Monica Brands Lord, when our struggles feel bigger than what we can handle, help us to find comfort and strength in how You’ve carried us before. God is lovingly working toward restoration and joy in and through the pain of our lives. INSIGHT: For encouragement as you face the difficulties of life, read When the Going Gets Tough at discoveryseries.org/hp072.