A Time To Mourn And A Time To Dance

Ever wander into church on a Sunday morning and find that the joyful, upbeat music feels like a lie?

Like one who takes off a garment on a cold day, or like vinegar on soda, is one who sings songs to a troubled heart. - Proverbs 25:20

Expecting someone who is troubled, grieving, suffering, dealing with unimaginable problems with no end in sight to sing joyful songs is not an act of faith but of cruelty. Rubbing salt into an open wound. And God doesn’t expect us to.

There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every matter under heaven…A time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance. - Ecclesiastes 3:1,4

We’ve taken the exhortation to “rejoice in the Lord always” too literally. There are days…sometimes even entire seasons of life…where God’s will is for us to weep and mourn “in the Lord” because God Himself grieves. He weeps. He mourns when He sees His people refusing to hear Him and change their ways.

It’s one thing to make a concerted effort to set aside the cares of daily life and remember the great things that God has done and offer up a heartfelt joyful song. But it’s another (as Isaiah warned) to worship God in vain when your heart is far from Him. If you’re unable to genuinely joyfully sing songs to Him, He’d much rather you come to Him with your grief and pain than fake it. Acknowledging the pain, not denying it, while patiently and humbly enduring knowing that God will in some fashion and at some point across the span of eternity use it for good.

Be miserable, and mourn, and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning, and your joy into gloom. Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you. - James 4:9,10

The godly balance is found in 2 Corinthians 6:10, “as sorrowful yet always rejoicing.” Sorrowful for many reasons; because life is often grueling, for the suffering and cruelty in the world and in ourselves, for the knowledge that wide is the path of destruction and narrow is the way of salvation and few will find it, for the fact that (like our own) it’s God’s own children who cause Him the greatest pain. Yet rejoicing for many reasons; in that we’re confident of God’s faithfulness, the sufficiency of His love and grace, and the wisdom of His ways.

So, if on Sunday morning, you can sing with a joyful heart…then sing! But if you can’t, there’s no shame in it. God is not disappointed in you. I know it feels awkward when your brothers and sisters are celebrating and you just can’t get past the grief or pain. But God knows you better than you know yourself and He hurts with you. Bring it to Him and allow the God of all comfort to minister to you. One day soon, your burden will grow lighter, the smile on your face will no longer be forced, and the joy of the Lord will feel as natural as breathing again.

Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. - Romans 12:15