Wrapped Up in Gladness

As I look back over the last couple of years – actually, the last 40 years - I want to thank God for so many praying friends and their timely words.

Tonight as I reworked what I had written last night, the phrase “who gives songs in the night” brought to mind an email from a dear friend and former colleague who knowing next to nothing of our circumstances, still seemed prompted time and time again to send a timely and encouraging word.

One email stands out in particular:

“You have been especially in my thoughts since your email and last night while I was dreaming (though I have no idea now about what!) the words “though weeping (or it might have been “sorrow”) may come, joy will come in the morning”.  When I woke up I felt that the Lord was prompting me to share these words with you. I looked them up and saw that they come , more or less, from Psalm 30: 5.”

Timely words…  There have been so many. But we have come back to these particular ones from Psalm 30 again and again.

In fact, we often sing 30B from The Book of Psalms for Worship and I love these words from the last verse:

You turned my grief to dancing

From sackcloth set me free:

You wrap me up in gladness

I shall not silent be.

They bring to mind Corrie Ten Boom’s happy, peaceful face towards the end of a long life as she says, “And I have told to anyone who would listen: No pit is so deep that He is not deeper still. With Jesus, even in our darkest moments, the best remains and the very best is yet to be.”

That is what I want to be:   “wrapped up in gladness” as I talk about God’s goodness – for He has been good to me.