#159: Joy Will Come Again

The other day I agreed to ride a roller coaster with my son. It had been a long time since I had been on one; they are not my most favorite thing to do, but I wanted to experience this ride with him. As I stood on the ground questioning my sanity, I looked at the massive ascending track to the top, and then the sudden drop offs, twists and turns. I sensed my heart racing with fear and excitement as I sat down and buckled in for the ride. I double checked the tightness of the harness for good measure.

Life is also full of twist, turns, and sudden drop-offs and these jerks and jolts make your heart race with excitement and fear! On David’s ride in 1 Chronicles, he experienced sweet peace and joy, and then the utter sock of the twists and turns of tragedy. He survived the ride and so will you!

Joy

Imagine the joy of the ride of life! It is smooth and peaceful. Your heart is smiling, and you have no concerns. Peace, joy, and celebration! In 1 Chronicles 12, David and Israel are enjoying that type of a ride! Battles had been won, David had just been crowned king and the people and the king were enjoying the moment and rejoicing over the Lords blessings “…for there was joy in Israel.” (1 Chron. 12:40) It was a peaceful time. As I read this chapter, I could almost hear Israel and David breathe a sigh of relief. It had been a really hard battle and now David is king. There can be rest. Finally. But life does not stay in a constant state of joy. Sometimes, as Christians we believe that if we are living right, the Lord will bless us with easy living. The following verse comes to mind.

Psalm 125:4 Do good, O LORD, unto those that be good, and to them that are upright in their hearts.

While it is true that the Lord does good to those that “be good,” we will still experience tragedy and loss as we move through life. Even during those times of difficulty, the Lord is still being “good” to us.

Confidence

Sometimes when the ride is easy, you raise your hands up in the air to gain more thrill out of the ride. (During my ride with my son, he suggested that I raise my hands. There was no way I was going to do that. I had a death grip on the bar holding me in!) 

For David, this time of peace brought a sense of confidence. I have felt this in my life as well. I have noticed that when things are smooth and moving along comfortably, I have been less of a grip on the Lord. I make decisions with confidence rather than seeking the Lord’s direction.  I have errantly used the season of joy to assume that my decisions are good, and thus my sensitivities for the Lord’s direction become dulled. 

I can see how David did the same thing. One of the first things that David wanted to do as king was collect the Ark of the Covenant and bring it to the city of David. David consulted with captains and leaders and the plan was set, however, I noticed that he did not consult with God.

1 Chronicles 13:7 And they carried the ark of God in a new cart out of the house of Abinadab: and Uzza and Ahio drave the cart.

David made the assumption that all was well. He assumed the hand of the Lord would bless his actions. In David’s eyes, seeing through a perspective of joyful confidence, he was doing right and good. However, this assumption was presumptuous. He was not carrying the Ark in the way that had been defined by the Lord. The Ark was to be carried with staves by the Levites, and David had it on a cart pulled by ox. Confidence in a season of joy can lead to hasty presumptions.

Tragedy

The worst and best part of a roller coaster is the sudden drop, round-about to the left and a sudden jerk to the right. Then a dark tunnel that drops suddenly with no warning! There is absolutely no way you can prepare yourself for these twists and turns. During my ride with my son, when I saw this coming, there was nothing I could do to prepare! It was too scary. A tragedy is very similar, and certainly not thrilling like a roller coaster ride; it is terrifying. 

Tragedy is all the more painful when it is least expected; in a time of joy and celebration. While David and his men were singing and rejoicing before the Lord. Tragedy shattered the moment.

1 Chronicles 13:9-10 And when they came unto the threshingfloor of Chidon, Uzza put forth his hand to hold the ark; for the oxen stumbled. And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzza, and he smote him, because he put his hand to the ark: and there he died before God.

This event socked David to his core! It was completely unanticipated. He couldn’t believe that this would happen. In his eyes, he was being blessed by the Lord, and he was doing something to bring the Lord glory by moving the Ark; he was even celebrating before the Lord, and the Lord repays him with tragedy?!

His response helps us to understand our potential response to the Lord when we experience something similar. David was “…displeased, because the Lord had made a breach upon Uzza.” (1 Chronicles 11) This displeasure is akin to anger. Then, David adds to his anger fear. 

1 Chronicles 13:12 And David was afraid of God that day, saying, How shall I bring the ark of God home to me?

Anger and fear are natural responses to tragedy and many times these emotions are directed toward God. However, we can’t allow these emotions to tear us away from the God of comfort. He can be trusted in David’s situation and He can be trusted in yours.

Paralysis

For three months David’s anger and fear kept him paralyzed. He did not know what to do and was afraid to take action. Tragedy does this to us. We are terrified to take the next step fearing that things could get worse. We might even consciously or subconsciously consider whether we can trust God to bring us through. Tragedy can be a turning point in a Christian’s walk with the Lord. I have seen many Christians at this point decide to turn their back on the Lord and assume that He is cruel and unjust. 

In the face of tragedy, we all have a choice to make. Are we going to crumble in the face of tragedy and turn from God in fear and anger, or continue to seek the Lord and His comfort and direction? 

2 Timothy 3:14-15 But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

We can choose to stay close to Him reminding ourselves of the goodness and love of the Lord and pressing into him for comfort, or we can allow the tragedy to trump all the blessing that we have received and turn our back on the Lord and exist in the tragedy with no source of comfort.

Let’s see what David did…

Cautious Reliance

For David, the tragedy prompted a new reliance upon the Lord. He is gripping the locked bar tightly. In 1 Chronicles 14 you see David seeking the Lord’s direction for every decision he has to make. 

Proverbs 8:34 Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors.

The tragedy has reminded him to seek the Lord’s relationship and to not leave Him out of daily decisions. During the season of confidence, David had loosened his grip upon the Lord, but now he is attentive and watching for the Lord to lead and direct in every decision.

Joy

As the roller coaster ride came to an end, I could feel my muscles relax and I took in a deep breath as a smile returned to my face. My son was laughing hysterically because apparently, I was screaming through the entire ride. It was not as bad as I had expected. The ride was terrifying, but joy had returned. The same thing happened to David. With his renewed reliance upon the Lord, David was starting to experience the joy again.

In 1 Chronicles 15 David followed the Lord’s direction of how to carry the ark as he was bringing the ark into the city of David with celebration. 

1 Chronicles 15:28 Thus all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the LORD with shouting, and with sound of the cornet, and with trumpets, and with cymbals, making a noise with psalteries and harps.

The celebration was sweet. I have to imagine that the joy after tragedy is even sweeter due to a new reliance upon the Lord.

The most important part of this roller coaster ride of life is to remember that joy will come again. Just hold on! I hope that as I go through the roller coaster of life that I keep my reliance upon the Lord. I hope that I do not lose my sensitivity toward Him in times of peace. I need Him and want Him in my daily, mundane, and important decisions. I want to be in conversation with God about the joy I am experiencing and ask Him to help me to keep my confidence in check so that when tragedy does strike again, my friend is already near. When joy comes again, I know God will be the first to join in the celebration with me.

Related Bible Passages:

Have a face to face conversation with your Lord:

Lord, what part of the ride am I on now? Joy, confidence, reliance, or tragedy?

Lord, how do I respond to you when I am in a season of confidence?

Lord, when I have experienced tragedy in my life, did I show anger and fear toward you?

Lord, as I go through life’s roller coaster I want to keep my reliance on you and remember that joy will come again…

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