Sunday Devotion and Prayer – May 28, 2023

                                 Sunday Devotion and Prayer. May 28, 2023
                                             “For Highly Emotional Days”

“For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.” -Psalms 30:5

Never make big decisions on the hard days. This advice was given to me when I was in the early stages of motherhood. My hormones and emotions were all over the place. I was prone to making rash, knee-jerk decisions until a wise friend shared the words I’ll never forget.

Have you ever been there? Are you dealing with grief because a relationship ended abruptly? Perhaps the seasons are shifting with your kids, and you are teetering between waves of elation and deep sadness. Or maybe you struggle to get out of bed because your days are an unending cycle of unfavorable outcomes. Whatever have you feeling all the feels, can I encourage you with something that God has been teaching me?

At the moment, those big emotions can consume you–especially in seasons of longsuffering when the hard moments’ string into days, weeks, months, or even years. Painful emotions can cloud our ability to see and recognize the opportunity for joy. We tend to lose sight of God’s Truth when walking through highly emotional moments. Instead of level-headed, thought-out decision-making, we opt for irrational and reactive. However, we can find relief from this reminder in scripture: emotions come and go.

The seasons of anger, weeping, and a host of other negative emotions can linger, but hold on to this truth: Joy comes in the morning! Whether you are an exhausted parent, a grieving friend, or are disenchanted with your season of life, the hard days will come, and the emotions soar high. But, as you wade through the depths and heights of each intense wave of feelings, may you remember that joy will be waiting for you when these hard feelings subside.

Heavenly Father,
Thank you for your Holy Spirit. Thank you for sending us a Helper and a Comforter after you ascended to Heaven. You knew these hard moments would come. Scripture illuminates that you are familiar with our intense emotions like anger and sadness. But Lord, you also gave us the gift of joy. In Your presence, we find the fullness of joy (Psalm 16:11). Joy is always there, beckoning to us because You are there waiting for us to notice and experience Your presence, despite our pain. You say even though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, You are there with us. You protect and comfort us (Psalm 23)

Lord, will You forgive us for our sinful decisions on those highly emotional days? Will You give us the strength to endure when the emotions last longer than we want? Would you protect us from lies when we are feeling so vulnerable? And would Your Spirit bring the truth about who You are to our minds? Lord, would You bring us to the minds of our brothers and sisters and prompt them to pray for us when we are too exhausted or ashamed to reach out and ask? Lord, I thank You that these difficult days don’t last forever and seasons change. You provide relief to endure a little longer in this very broken world. And we can joyfully endure. God, thank You that we can put our hope in eternity where there will be no more sadness or tears. Lord, we look forward to forever with You and unending joy in Your presence forevermore! In Your son Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.