136. Sorrow to Joy
John 16:20, 22 Ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy….And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you.
The prediction is that we will be sorrowful; the promise is that the sorrow will be turned into joy. When Jesus is gone and we are left to ourselves alone sorrow comes and fills the life; but when Jesus sees us again we will have such a joy that no one can take it away from us.
“Sorrow turned to joy” is quite an amazing promise; it does not just mean that after sorrow joy comes and replaces the sorrow (day comes after night); it means more: the sorrow itself becomes joy. There are seeds within the sorrow that bear the fruit and flower of joy; the joy cannot be seen or felt within the sorrow, but it is there. The seeds do not look like the flower, but within the seed is the potential for something beautiful to come from it. Sorrow is the seed; joy is the fruit. This is another way of saying: no crown without the cross; no glory without the suffering; no gain without pain. God does not just drop down the joy and glory; He works it out by going through the sorrow, and the sorrow itself is turned into joy.
We do not see the connections of cause and effect; this is why we need the promise of Jesus to make a connection by faith. We will never see the result of joy while we are going through the hard times, but the truth is that those very sorrows themselves have within them the seeds of joy. Even though Jesus clearly predicted it to the disciples, I am sure that on Friday and Saturday they could not see the joy of the resurrection on Sunday. Therefore, believe the promises of Jesus: “Joy comes in the morning.” Let God’s wisdom and love take the present dark times and work it through into light and joy. The good news is that it will all work out for good. And that is a promise. Take it to heart.