Dark Nights
The Starry Night
(Painted by Vincent van Gogh) (1889)
“For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning”
– Psalm 30:5.
There are seasons of life where things don’t go well. People betray you, businesses fail, sickness attacks, family collapses or ministries go through hard times. When that happens, it can seem like the pain will never end, but the good news is that it does. What’s more, those dark nights are often followed by seasons of joy, restoration and happiness. The challenge is you don’t know how long the dark night will last before the morning of rejoicing comes. You can only encourage yourself with the faith knowledge that the good times will return. Job experienced this turnaround as we read in Job 42:10-12: “After Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes and gave him twice as much as he had before. All his brothers and sisters and everyone who had known him before came and ate with him in his house. They comforted and consoled him over all the trouble the Lord had brought on him, and each one gave him a piece of silver and a gold ring.” Are you in a dark night? Can you thank God for the joyful morning long before it comes? Can you remain steady in your faith walk, even though you cannot see your hand in front of your face?
Today’s reading – Psalms 26-30
John Stanko was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and attended Duquesne University where he received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in economics in 1972 and 1974 respectively.
Since then, John has served as an administrator, teacher, consultant, author, and pastor in his professional career. He holds a second master’s degree in pastoral ministries, and earned his Doctor of Ministry from Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Pittsburgh in 2011.
John founded a personal and leadership development company, called PurposeQuest, in 2001 and today travels the world to speak, consult and inspire leaders and people everywhere. From 2001-2008, he spent six months a year in Africa and still enjoys visiting and working on that continent, while teaching for Geneva College’s Masters of Organizational Leadership and the Center for Urban Biblical Ministry in his hometown of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Most recently, John founded Urban Press, a publishing service designed to tell stories of the city, from the city and to the city.
Trending Now on Affluent Christian Investor
Gramsci’s Plan to Overwhelm Christianity With Socialism Using Culture
Democrats Willing To Kill 90,000 COVID Patients To Discredit Trump
Data Confirms Big Tech’s Left-Wing Bias
The Futility of Managing Your Own Reputation
Fascism Is Socialism: Here’s The Proof
Coming Out Of The Socialist Closet
The American Covenant: How American Independence Arose from the Colonial Pulpits
What Number Will Signal When the Dollar is About to Plunge to Zero Value?
Why Billy Graham and I Read Revelation Differently
Innovation Springs From Liberty
The Destructive Obsession With Equality
Your Support Is Keeping Samantha Bee On The Air
Respect for God and Gratitude: How Toyota Rose On More Than Just Hard Work
5 Things Christians Can Do To Win With Money
The Founding Fathers Understood
5 Things The Millionaire Next To You Is Doing With Their Money That You’re Not
Follow Us
The Affluent Mix
Data Confirms Big Tech’s Left-Wing Bias September 17, 2020 | Charles Bowyer
Democrats Willing To Kill 90,000 COVID Patients To Discredit Trump... September 17, 2020 | Roger McKinney
Biggest Economic Drivers Are Most Poised To Come Back... September 17, 2020 | Jerry Bowyer
The Destructive Obsession With Equality September 17, 2020 | Jim Huntzinger
The 2020 Election And Your Portfolio September 17, 2020 | David Bahnsen
Europeans Discover The Myth About ‘Safety Nets’ The Hard Way... September 17, 2020 | John Tamny
Inflation By Fiat September 17, 2020 | Michael Pento
Innovation Springs From Liberty September 17, 2020 | Daniel McLaughlin
Manufacturing A Recovery September 17, 2020 | Jerry Bowyer
5 Things The Millionaire Next To You Is Doing With Their Money That You’re... September 17, 2020 | Eric Schrum
Politicians And Pundits Vs. The People September 11, 2020 | Frank Vernuccio
If You Want To Worry About Something, Worry About This... September 11, 2020 | David Bahnsen
Dismiss The Federal Reserve Alarmism, There’s No Such Thing As ‘Dollar Short... September 11, 2020 | John Tamny
National Reconstruction Begins September 11, 2020 | Jerry Bowyer
Q2 Was Tough On Those Who Panicked At The End Of Q1... September 11, 2020 | Jerry Bowyer
The Founding Fathers Understood September 11, 2020 | Jim Huntzinger
Things Are More Dangerous Than People Think... September 11, 2020 | Daniel McLaughlin
5 Things Christians Can Do To Win With Money... September 11, 2020 | Eric Schrum
Social Justice Warriors Must Address Core Problems... September 4, 2020 | Daniel McLaughlin
Our Dishonest Ruling Class September 4, 2020 | Frank Vernuccio
The Fed In A Post-COVID World September 4, 2020 | David Bahnsen
Dear Conservatives: Excess Taxes ‘Voluntarily’ Paid By Liberals Are A Tax On... September 4, 2020 | John Tamny
Join the conversation!
We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, vulgarity, profanity, all caps, or discourteous behavior. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain a courteous and useful public environment where we can engage in reasonable discourse.