“You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;
you have loosed my sackcloth
and clothed me with gladness”
– Psalm 30:11
This is one of the wonderful things God does for those who have embraced Christ when we lean into Him in our grief. In the midst of mourning, sorrow, and personal darkness, He can fill us with joy, delight, and gladness. Sometimes He does that by changing our circumstances for the better. But far more often and important, He does that in the midst of whatever we’re struggling with by giving us more of Himself.
As we grow in our relationship with God, pursuing Him daily in reading, meditation, prayer, worship, and ministry, we grow in our experience of Him. We grow in our understanding of Him and His glorious nature. We grow in our awareness of His presence in our suffering. As we do, the fruit of the Holy Spirit grows within us, filling us with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
As our experience of the infinite God of the universe fills and overflows our finite hearts, we are moved to dance amidst mourning and to be glad in the midst of fear and sorrow. None of this invalidates the reality or pain of our earthly situation, yet we increasingly discover the ultimate and eternal joy of God in our heavenly situation.