Weeping may last for the night, But a shout of joy comes in the morning! Psalm 30:5
The evening before Easter, my neighbor, a busy mother, took the time to stop by my house with an Easter lily. She had written on the side of the container, Joy Comes in the Morning!
It was so appropriate to receive it the night before Easter, before the dawning of Easter Day. The day in which we celebrate joyously the resurrection of Jesus, who is alive! He gave us the Holy Spirit who is with us and will never leave us or forsake us.
Easter was Sunday, April 1st. It was almost a month since the last chemotherapy treatment. I was feeling really great but still experiencing some of the side effects. On Monday, I was to begin radiation treatments for 6 1/2 weeks; everyday, Monday thru Friday. It was appropriate to receive the hope that came with this gift-Joy will come in the morning.
Many times when the night seems long and darkness seems to prevail, is the most difficult time to have hope. Hope is the joyful, confident, expectation that circumstances will change and light will appear with the first rays of sun. During this journey of receiving chemotherapy, my body was not always feeling energetic. Nausea was not pleasant.
This was a season when I needed to hold onto the promises of God. I Peter 1:19 “So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention, as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts.”
The Holy Spirit impressed different words of encouragement in my spirit. The one phrase that came to me was, “This is a bump in the road.” Two other people spoke these words which were a confirmation that there was an end in sight. Some days I felt like the bump was more like a mountain! But mountains can be good places.
This was a sketch I did which depicts a mountain as a place of refuge, a place of safety, a rock of strength. ( I am sorry it is not very clear)
Ps 18:1-2 was one of the promises I held onto. I love you, O Lord, my Strength. Jehovah is my Rock. And my Fortress and my Deliverer. My God, my Rock in whom I take refuge. My Shield and the horn of my salvation. My Stronghold.
A note from Matthew Henry on Psalm 18. God will not only deliver his people out of their troubles in due time, but He will bear them up under their troubles in the meantime.
May 16 was my last radiation treatment! I have had shouts of joy and moments of relief with tears. I am moving on beyond the bump in the road. Some have asked how I am going to celebrate, I reply that I am going forward, living life with all the strength the Lord gives me.