There may be pain in the night but joy comes in the morning song

Hard times come to every person. Until the grip of this old world is forever broken by that final blast from Michael’s trumpet, we will go on having what one hymn writer called “the night seasons” here on earth. No one is exempt from heartache. But the night cannot last forever, and the darkest hour is just before the dawn. God has promised that “weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning” (Ps. 30:5 kjv).

One night while driving, Bill and I were listening to an African-American pastor on the radio encouraging his congregation—as well as his radio audience. With a heartfelt genuine compassion for his ­people, he kept repeating this promise from Psalm 30: “Weeping endures for the night!” he would say, asking them to repeat the words after him. 

“But joy comes in the morning! Let me hear you, now. Weeping endures for the night…” The ­people would sing that phrase back to him. “But joy comes in the morning!” With one great voice they returned the affirmation. “Joy comes in the morning!”

Eventually the organ punctuated the truth. Its great music swelled like waves cresting on the beach. “Joy, joy comes in the morning!”

As we listened, the problems in our own lives seemed to settle into perspective in the immense power of God and His great faithfulness since the psalmist first wrote the words: “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning”!

The song that resulted from that experience has spoken to us for over 45 years and has been used by God to give perspective and encouragement to many who have written to us or spoken to us at concerts. Over the years we have come to understand that pain is, as C. S. Lewis once called it, “God’s megaphone.” It is a useful tool in the hand of the Master Craftsman of our souls to hollow out spaces in us for holding the joy in the morning!

When the hard times of life come, we know that no matter how tragic the circumstances seem, no matter how long the spiritual drought, no matter how dark the days, the sun is sure to break through; the dawn will come. The warmth of His assurance will hold us in an embrace once again, and we will know that our God has been there all along. We will hear Him say, through it all, “Hold on, my child, joy comes in the morning!”

What Is the Context of "Joy Comes in the Morning"?

For years, David had been on the run from King Saul, and as a fugitive, he had faced tremendous affliction and persecution. It was in this season that David wrote some of his most honest and emotional Psalms (Psalms 51, 54, 56, 57, 59, 142).

Even though God had delivered David from the hands of his enemies, including Saul, on numerous occasions, after ascending to the throne, David grew complacent and spiritually lax, “fancying himself secure.”

“Now as for me, I said in my prosperity, ‘I will never be moved.’” (Psalms 30:6)

According to the Treasury of David, “when God’s children prosper one way, they are generally tried another, for few of us can bear unmingled prosperity.”

As David grew self-assured and satisfied during a season of prosperity, God intervened, challenging him to return his eyes the Lord. Unlike many, however, David understood that his struggle was not God trying to tear him down. Rather, God was humbling His servant and allowing him to be tested as a means of growing and strengthening him.

This, of course, aligns with the theology of James who wrote to, “consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.  Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” (James 1:2-4)

In the midst of David’s personal struggle, when things seemed darkest and most uncertain, he wrote, “for His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for a lifetime; weeping may last for the night, but a shout of joy comes in the morning.” (Psalm 30:5)

As someone who had experienced a lifetime of heartache and godly favor, David wrote from experience, knowing that any pain, anxiety, and struggle he would face in life were only temporary. In his darkest and most desperate hours, David had called out to the Lord, and God had answered. Every time!

No night lasts forever. The sun will always rise, and with the dawn comes the blessing and favor of the Father, who is hard at work to bless, strengthen, and deliver His children. David had seen this time and time again.

Life may not be perfect, comfortable, or free of pain and struggle, not even for the most faithful servant of God. But in the midst of our pain, uncertainty, and fear, God is always with us and working for us.

We may feel hopeless, discouraged, and afflicted in the moment, unable to see the light, but as Jeremiah, the prophet, wrote, “blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit.” (Jeremiah 17:7-8)

David would continue, “you have turned my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and girded me with gladness.” (Psalms 30:11)

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