The Promise of Joy
What an eventful start to 2026! Between the holidays, sickness, snow and everything else, it felt like there wasn’t a whole lot of time to rest. Funny how that happens, huh? But, as we step into this new year, I am reminded that there is something encouraging about turning the calendar to a new year.
I am reminded of the writer of Lamentations, penning these words in Lamentations 3:19-24 - “I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me. Yet this I call to mind, and there I have hope. Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait on him.”
2025 was full of moments. Some were good and others that, if we’re honest, we’d rather just forget. Times of joy and momentum and others of heartache and failure. And the reality is that life is often full of these roller coaster moments where things can be going so well and at the next turn, a massive (and unexpected) drop-off occurs.
This is why the words in Lamentations resonate so well. The writer recognizes this but, at the same time, he also realizes that it’s only temporary. I believe that in this passage, it is a full understanding that, while circumstances can sometimes feel overwhelming, our hope is anchored in something much deeper than what we may feel in that particular moment.
And this changes everything for the writer. It allows him to rest. How? Because he ultimately knows that God is in control. His compassion has not failed. His mercies are new every morning and his faithfulness has not wavered. And because the Lord is his portion, he can wait and ultimately, trust that God has already taken care of it.
Psalm 30:5 tells us this - “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.” Weeping is a possibility but joy is a promise.
As we step into 2026, this is my invitation to you to do the same. The next 11 months will hold many challenges and difficulties, but the truth remains that God is there and we can rest easy knowing that he is in control.
