The rules, dynamics and applications of some words in the English Language are quite exciting. They make all the difference.
There are several ‘Parts of Speech’ in the English Language, one of which is ‘Article’. Others are noun, adjective, preposition, conjunction etc.
These parts of speech describe the function of the word in a sentence. For example, a verb will mean that the word is an action or a doing word.
What’s special about the Article as a Part of Speech is that there are only three: ‘the’, ‘a’ and ‘an’.
‘The’ describes one specific thing out of many. For example, ‘the boy’ refers to one specific boy and not just any boy.
‘A’ or ‘An’, depending on if the succeeding word is a consonant or vowel refers to any out of many. For example, ‘a boy’ means any boy at all whilst ‘an apple’ means any apple at all.
Bringing this home,
“Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.”
Psalm 30:5
Applying the rules of the use of Articles, this means that weeping may endure for a night, that means any night out of many nights, in our lives. If it said weeping may endure for the night, we can rest assured that every morning when we wake up, we will weep in the evening – that specific evening but Scripture tells us Anight – any night at all.
On the other hand, “joy comes in the morning” means one specific morning. The morning means every single morning. Whenever we go to bed, even though we do not weep, we can rest assured that in the morning, there will be joy and rightly so because:
“It is of the LORD’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning…”
(Lamentations 3:22-23)
With new mercies every morning from the God who is rich in mercy, we can rest assured that there will be joy in the morning.
Isn’t this why the Psalmist says,
“Don’t sin by letting anger control you. Think about it overnight and remain silent”
(Psalm 4:4 NLT)
Personally, I know how many troubles and sins could have been avoided if I had slept over matters and not handled them in the darkness of the night.
Without fail, every morning brings with it refreshment that always put the events of the night in perspective.
Reader, be encouraged. Hope in the mercies of God that will bring joy every morning. You will not weep every night, maybe and only maybe a night – but you will have joy every morning. Amen.