Key Scripture:

“A time to mourn, and a time to dance.” Ecclesiastes 3:4b

Devotional:

Have you ever found yourself in a moment where you were simultaneously overcome by memories of unexplainable joy and deep sorrow?

Maybe those moments included a person; maybe they included a dream. Maybe those memories were literal; maybe they were figurative. I can’t help but think that as King Solomon wrote, “a time to mourn, and a time to dance,” a rolodex full of stories and memories of his dad flooded his mind…

Maybe he was thinking about the deep sorrow and regret his dad felt over the sin he initially committed with his mom, Bathsheba, while simultaneously remembering the deep love and affection he had for her, him and his siblings.¹

Maybe he was thinking about the stories of how his dad danced before the Lord with all his might as he ushered the ark of the covenant into Jerusalem, while simultaneously remembering how his dad trusted God’s plan despite the initial disappointment of being forbidden from building the temple because of decisions he made in his past.²

Or maybe, just maybe, Solomon was thinking about how his dad mourned the betrayal and ultimate loss of his brother, Absalom, while simultaneously remembering the joy on his father’s face as he publicly exhorted and declared Solomon to succeed him as king of Israel.³

While we can’t be 100 percent sure of the moments that were on Solomon’s mind while he wrote this pairing, we can be sure of this: the life of his dad, King David, was a testament to what it looked like to walk intimately with the Lord atop the mountaintops of life, all the while simultaneously navigating the deep, dark valleys in a way that was real, honest and authentic.

Thankfully, for us, there is no shortage of unfiltered thoughts to glean from David, the man after God’s own heart,⁴ who desired to walk faithfully with the Lord for all the days of his life.⁵ When his life was coming to a close here on earth, David wrote a heartfelt song recounting how he held to and was held by the promises of God through every season of his life. 

In Psalm 30, he pours out his praise to the God whose promises are far deeper and much more powerful than any high or low he walked through, only to conclude his song with these words:

“You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever!” Psalm 30:11-12

Like David, in our lifetime, there will be no shortage of moments that will try to steal your song. Graves are coming. Tragedies are coming. Disappointment is coming. That’s guaranteed.

Maybe you’re mourning burying a loved one in the same place that you’re planting flowers and celebrating their life.

Maybe you’re mourning falling back into a temptation and sin that you’ve been free of for years in the same place where you celebrated victory over it.

Maybe you’re mourning your friends walking away from the Lord in the same place that you’re celebrating your “one more” publicly declaring Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

Maybe you’re mourning all your dreams falling apart in front of you in the same place that God put those dreams in your heart.

Or maybe, just maybe, you’re mourning the person that you thought you’d spend the rest of your life with, walking away from it all in the same place that you danced and planned on what forever looked like with them.

But..

Because of Jesus, we do not grieve as people without a hope.⁶
Because of Jesus, there is a day coming that He will take us to the place that He is. And once we get there, He promises that He will wipe away every tear and death will be no more.⁷
Because of Jesus, one day, all things will be made new.⁸
Because of Jesus, like David, we are invited to honestly and authentically keep singing about the goodness of God despite where we find ourselves in this season.

Deepening questions:

• When was the last time that you thanked the Lord for the circumstances in your life? What do you need to currently thank the Lord for today?
• Who are the 3-5 people in your life who dance with you on the mountaintops and mourn with you in the valleys? If you don’t have those people, have you considered joining a Disciple Group?

Further reading:

1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, Isaiah 61:1-3 Psalm 30

Footnotes:

¹ 1 Chronicles 22:9-10, 2 Samuel 12:24-25, 1 Kings 1:15-16 ² 2 Samuel 6:14, 1 Chronicles 28:3, 2 Samuel 7, Psalm 30 ³ 2 Samuel 18:19-33, 1 Chronicles 22 ⁴ 1 Samuel 13:14 ⁵ 2 Samuel 22:22 ⁶ 1 Thessalonians 4:13 ⁷ Hebrews 10:37, Revelation 21:4 ⁸ Revelation 21:5