Recently as I was reading, I was struck by Psalm 30:11-12
"You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing. You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy, that I might sing praises to you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever!"
For whatever reason the Psalmist David was being overwhelmed by sadness. Perhaps it was of the loss of a friend or relative or seeing something he had been hoping for get swept away. The scripture doesn't tell us why he was in this depressed place, but God in His unfailing love took away the sadness and filled His beloved with a joy so great that it could not be contained. Talk about 'flipping the switch'. David was weeping with sadness and then suddenly, unexpectedly, he was overwhelmed with a joy so great he had to do the dance. (If you don't have a joy-joy dance, ask God to give you one. It will quite literally change your life.)
Some years back, I had a job that required that I fly quite a bit. Believe it or not, one of my favorite things about flying was taking off in the rain. The drive to the airport would be dark, cloudy, and dreary for as far as you could see. The rain falling would cause people to scurry around a bit in their attempt to stay dry and seek shelter. The plane would taxi out onto the runway and begin to accelerate to a speed that would allow lift off. Rain pelting against the windows and body of the plane. As the plane would climb, we would typically have some bumps and feel the effects of turbulence. I am sure that this caused some of those on board to have a knot in their stomach and clinch the arm-rest a little tighter. Then suddenly, the plane would break through the clouds and the sun shining on the clouds would make what had been dark and dreary, become breath-takingly white and brilliant. The same clouds that were so dreary just seconds earlier were transformed into a glorious blanket of white. The only thing that changed was our altitude. There is a chorus to an old hymn that I am often reminded of. It says: "Lord, lift me up and let me stand. By faith on heaven's table land. A higher plane than I have found, Lord, plant my feet on higher ground."
When you find yourself wrestling with life's cares ask the One who is shimmering light to lift you up to higher ground.
Pastor John