By Cindy Hess Kasper, Our Daily Bread Writer

PHOTO: Psalm 30:4-12
praise his holy name.
For his anger lasts only a moment,
but his favor lasts a lifetime;
weeping may stay for a night,
but rejoicing comes in the morning.
When I felt secure, I said,
"I will never be shaken."
O Lord, when you favored me,
you made my mountain stand firm;
but when you hid your face,
I was dismayed.
To you, O Lord, I called;
to the Lord I cried for mercy;
"What gain is there in my destruction,
in my going down into the pit?
Will the dust praise you?
Will it proclaim your faithfulness?
Hear, O Lord, and be merciful to me;
O Lord, be my help."
You turned my wailing into dancing;
you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,
that my heart may sing to you and not be silent.
O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever.
Imagine C. S. Lewis's fictional world of Narnia, where a hundred years it was always winter. Cold, wet snow - with no hope of springtime ever arriving to wipe away the memories of icy temperatures and piles of white staff. But worst of all, in Narnia, Christmas never came. Always winter and never Christmas! To me, the best part of winter is the anticipation, excitement, and wonder of Christmas. Life is bleak when you have nothing to look forward to.
David wrote, "When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul" (Psalm 94:19). If you cry out to God in the midst of your "winter," you can experience the joy of the Christ of Christmas today.
- Cindy Hess Kasper
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyv7PUH9U-KBoJug0OaI7P8K6ZvoHZQYrEJDRzlaj2AcdkjeEhk_2qImREtiM2kz3wiAZ9zNaNDse7c4Yv4Gzm_errg5-CGeGC3U_YlYxJgMsdpDBucwd7_U7-UBy2J-kbUAIflMBFPkbqrBq8HzfTg-ooss8pHUCx0ZsxEdwhLSrou7JUUvWSIkE9H3E/s1772/493316637_2747814655412527_1507005325493259751_n.jpg
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Psalm 30:4-12
Sing to the Lord, you saints of his;
praise his holy name.
For his anger lasts only a moment,
but his favor lasts a lifetime;
weeping may stay for a night,
but rejoicing comes in the morning.
When I felt secure, I said,
"I will never be shaken."
O Lord, when you favored me,
you made my mountain stand firm;
but when you hid your face,
I was dismayed.
To you, O Lord, I called;
to the Lord I cried for mercy;
"What gain is there in my destruction,
in my going down into the pit?
Will the dust praise you?
Will it proclaim your faithfulness?
Hear, O Lord, and be merciful to me;
O Lord, be my help."
You turned my wailing into dancing;
you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,
that my heart may sing to you and not be silent.
O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever.

PHOTO: You turned my wailing into dancing;
you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,
that my heart may sing to you and not be silent.
O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever.
Picture posted by Vins Antonius s
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1-8N8CToUg-Mi-QU0-Yi8vEEf8UdnWCO_bb3c75b3U55vU9ocj98zPNE4z7IjDE50-NSJOIEMYu2yqeSfkLPqIfWdi7sIH6memr1RF6xHmH8kanMcEuzTv-0r-pOyA5SXrez5cFWynt6WSEcex3dwp1enG8XuJzUU1r98eL3_TjEYOaX1c8UULAIw8D0/s1920/69dbe30593c162d4ca9a6c4076207bed_1.png
https://i.pinimg.com/1200x/69/db/e3/69dbe30593c162d4ca9a6c4076207bed.jpg
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/527765650102154285/

PHOTO: Unlike some of my family - who can't wait to go down hill skiing - I don't look forward to winter. When the first snowflake falls, I immediately start calculating how many months of Michigan winter are left.
Picture posted by Tommy McNeill on 10 January 2025
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyO31qL2TsRIG1KCRYDzixpib4RHtyXPQWQy_AvO7ofgeTNU8fzbG3yLJtPSVrfsEJ5gcAuO36IN6o34XVltgOZd_y92VDV9CJd3l3AUd90AfiGJpr1esSRMw0FiJf6kMmMDcet72NIx9rI-ipEY6a-ioFUH7ck6WqhkWXp2dwjYOuvN_SzQyh93xv3PQ/s1600/attachment-michigan-winter-storm.webp
https://townsquare.media/site/43/files/2024/10/attachment-michigan-winter-storm.jpg
https://wgrd.com/farmers-almanac-january-storm-accurate/
Imagine C. S. Lewis's fictional world of Narnia, where a hundred years it was always winter. Cold, wet snow - with no hope of springtime ever arriving to wipe away the memories of icy temperatures and piles of white staff. But worst of all, in Narnia, Christmas never came. Always winter and never Christmas! To me, the best part of winter is the anticipation, excitement, and wonder of Christmas. Life is bleak when you have nothing to look forward to.

PHOTO: Imagine C. S. Lewis's fictional world of Narnia, where a hundred years it was always winter. Cold, wet snow - with no hope of springtime ever arriving to wipe away the memories of icy temperatures and piles of white staff. But worst of all, in Narnia, Christmas never came. Always winter and never Christmas! To me, the best part of winter is the anticipation, excitement, and wonder of Christmas. Life is bleak when you have nothing to look forward to.
Picture posted by themask.money on 08 December 2024
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https://www.tiktok.com/@themask.money/video/7445912489784659222

PHOTO: There are some whose souls are locked in winter. The hardness of life has frozen their hearts. Disappointed with life, they find that each day is filled with despair. "Weeping may remain for a night," the psalmist tells us, "but rejoicing comes in the morning" (Psalm 30:5). In the darkest times of our lives, God longs to turn our "wailing into dancing" (Psalm 30:11).
Picture posted by シliza.art
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https://in.pinterest.com/pin/101542166597312431/
David wrote, "When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul" (Psalm 94:19). If you cry out to God in the midst of your "winter," you can experience the joy of the Christ of Christmas today.
- Cindy Hess Kasper

PHOTO: David wrote, "When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul" (Psalm 94:19). If you cry out to God in the midst of your "winter," you can experience the joy of the Christ of Christmas today.
Picture posted by bibletales1.1 on 12 January 2025
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PHOTO: "Dear Lord, we pray that in the darkest times of our lives, may God turns our 'wailing into dancing'. If our souls are locked in 'winter', and our hardness of life has frozen our hearts, the psalmist tells us that 'Weeping may remain for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning".
May as David has written, 'When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul'. When we cry out to God in the midst of our 'winter', may we experience the joy of the Christ of Christmas today.
Through Lord Jesus Christ we pray. Amen."
Picture posted by Rimma Smirnova ArtAI
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https://www.pinterest.com/pin/122793527343093468/
Reflection - Psalm 30 - Always Winter
Source (book): "My Soul Thirsts For God", Reflections on the Psalms from Our Daily Bread, Psalm 30:4-12, "Always Winter", Page 52.
By Cindy Hess Kasper, Our Daily Bread Writer

Reflection - Faithful to the end (Links)
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2017/06/reflection-faithful-to-end-links.html
"Finding rest for the soul" Responding to Jesus' Invitation in Matthew 11:28-29, © 2016 by Robert M. Solomon

Reflection - Finding rest for the soul (Links)
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2018/10/reflection-finding-rest-for-soul-links.html
"God in Pursuit" Lessons from the Book of Jonah, © 2016 by Robert M. Solomon

Reflection - God in Pursuit (Links) - PART I-III, posted on Saturday, 10 August 2019
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2019/08/reflection-god-in-pursuit-links-part-i.html
"God in Pursuit" Lessons from the Book of Jonah, © 2016 by Robert M. Solomon

Reflection - God in Pursuit (Links) - PART IV, posted on Saturday, 10 August 2019
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2019/08/reflection-god-in-pursuit-links-part-iv.html
"Songs of Christmas", The Stories and Significance of 20 Well-Loved Carols, © 2018 by Robert M. Solomon

Reflection - Songs of Christmas (Links), posted on Friday, 24 April 2020
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2020/04/reflection-songs-of-christmas-links.html
"Growing Old Gracefully", Following Jesus to the End, © 2019 by Robert M. Solomon

Reflection - Growing Old Gracefully, Part I - III (Links), posted on Wednesday, 09 December 2020
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2020/12/reflection-growing-old-gracefully-part.html

Reflection - Growing Old Gracefully, Part IV - V (Links), posted on Thursday, 22 April 2021
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2020/12/reflection-growing-old-gracefully-part_9.html
"Teach Us to Number Our Days", © 2008 by David Roper

Reflection - Number Our Days, Chapter 1 - 40 (Links), posted on Tuesday, 16 November 2021
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2021/11/reflection-number-our-days-chapter-1-40.html

Reflection - Number Our Days, Chapter 41 - 64 (Links), posted on Wednesday, 16 March 2022
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2022/03/reflection-number-our-days-chapter-41.html
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2022/08/reflection-he-walks-with-me-links.html
"Classic Gem: Timeless Devotions from Our Daily Bread Authors", Copyright © 2021 by Our Daily Bread Ministries

Reflection - Classic Gem, Chapter 1 - 45 (Links), posted on 03 April 2023
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2023/04/reflection-classic-gem-chapter-1-45.html
"Classic Gem: Timeless Devotions from Our Daily Bread Authors", Copyright © 2021 by Our Daily Bread Ministries

Reflection - Classic Gem, Chapter 46 - 90 (Links), posted on Tuesday, 24 October 2023
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2023/10/reflection-classic-gem-chapter-46-90.html
"Making All Things New", 52 Reflections to Challenge the Way You Live, Copyright @ 2022 by Robert M. Solomon

Reflection - Making All Things New, Chapter 1 - 28 (Links), posted on Saturday, 04 August 2024
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2024/08/reflection-making-all-things-new.html
"Making All Things New", 52 Reflections to Challenge the Way You Live, Copyright @ 2022 by Robert M. Solomon

Reflection - Making All Things New, Chapter 29 - 52 (Links), posted on Saturday, 15 March 2025
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2025/03/reflection-making-all-things-new.html
New International Version (NIV), Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Psalm 30:5 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2030%3A5&version=NIV
Psalm 30:11 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2030%3A11&version=NIV
Psalm 94:19 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2094%3A19&version=NIV
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