Read Psalm 30
A psalm. A song. For the dedication of the temple. Of David.
1 I will exalt you, Lord,
for you lifted me out of the depths
and did not let my enemies gloat over me.
2 Lord my God, I called to you for help,
and you healed me.
3 You, Lord, brought me up from the realm of the dead;
you spared me from going down to the pit.
4 Sing the praises of the Lord, you his faithful people;
praise his holy name.
5 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.
6 When I felt secure, I said,
“I will never be shaken.”
7 Lord, when you favored me,
you made my royal mountain stand firm;
but when you hid your face,
I was dismayed.
8 To you, Lord, I called;
to the Lord I cried for mercy:
9 “What is gained if I am silenced,
if I go down to the pit?
Will the dust praise you?
Will it proclaim your faithfulness?
10 Hear, Lord, and be merciful to me;
Lord, be my help.”
11 You turned my wailing into dancing;
you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,
12 that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent.
Lord my God, I will praise you forever.
Go Deeper
In Isaiah 55:8-9, the Prophet Isaiah writes, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” The ways of the Lord are completely different from our ways. He operates in ways our brains can’t fathom.
We see this with great clarity in Psalm 30:5. David says the Lord’s anger lasts only a moment, but His favor lasts a lifetime. We tend to operate in opposite ways. Our joy/compassion/empathy (fill in the blank with your emotion of choice) lasts for a moment, but our anger tends to linger on. When one of our kids does something great, we celebrate for a minute and then focus on the ways they fall short. We rejoice in the five compliments we get from our boss for a few moments, and then focus on the one critique. We forget the ways our Life Group members showed kindness, and instead dwell on all the ways they annoy us.
David writes as one who knows what it’s like to evoke the anger of the Lord. Even though he was a man after God’s own heart, the Lord is well-acquainted with all of his shortcomings. David was unfaithful, murdered an innocent man, passively led his family at times, and much more. Yet David can say with integrity that the ongoing favor of the Lord is much greater than His momentary anger.
As followers of Jesus Christ, we want to be the same way. We need to believe this Truth and live it out. Today, pray that God would help you believe Psalm 30:5, that the Lord is not angry with you, but shows you favor, not because of anything you have done, but because of the finished work of the Son. And then see how you can apply this principle in the way you love and lead others—momentary anger, ongoing joy.
Questions
- How do you tend to operate—as one with ongoing anger and momentary joy, or ongoing joy and momentary anger?
- It’s easy to focus on the mourning and sadness in life. How would your life look different if you believed that joy and dancing will come in the morning?
- Not a question but a challenge: Take a few moments to thank the Lord that He removed your sackcloth and replaced it with joy!
Keep Digging
As we begin reading through some thanksgiving psalms for the next couple of weeks, check out this blog post on what it means to adopt a posture of thankfulness!
4 thoughts on “Psalms of Thanksgiving: Psalm 30”
Today I will celebrate God as my deliverer, not just from the snares of this life, but through Christ Jesus I am rescued from eternal damnation, “that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent, Lord my God, I will praise you forever” (v12). Far too often we do remain silent. I’m challenged to boldly share this good news with whoever may cross my path. This is the ultimate form of gratitude/praise, bringing others into his kingdom. I’m reading the words of the hymn Charles Wesley penned “O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing”as a response to this Psalm:
Oh, for a thousand tongues to sing
My great Redeemer’s praise,
The glories of my God and king,
The triumphs of His grace!
My gracious Master and my God,
Assist me to proclaim,
To spread through all the earth abroad,
The honors of Thy name.
Jesus! the name that calms our fears,
That bids our sorrows cease—
’Tis music in the sinner’s ears,
’Tis life, and health, and peace.
He breaks the pow’r of canceled sin,
He sets the pris’ner free;
His blood can make the foulest clean,
His blood availed for me.
I am thankful for JP”s sermons on Matthew 5. I need prodded. I know in my head what to do, but my fear of man has a hold on my tongue about Jesus but not on what annoys me. I can complain oh so very well. My goal, my minute head discussions are to turn my complaints into positivityness. God is so incredibly good and has blessed me beyond what I can ask or think. These are the things to share and WOOHOO!! about. My joy is what should be evident all over my life.
God thank You for loving me so much that it is incomprehensible. Thank You for all the minutes of this day to be able to think, say, act, be a light for You. Help me to turn my complaints into gratefulness. God let me see Your people through Your love goggles. Help guide me with Your words coming out of my mouth. Thank You for so many BUT GOD moments and more and more to come in Jesus name amen.
WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
11 “You turned my wailing into dancing;
you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,“
Wow! Sign me up for that!
He’s my Rock, He’s my Deliverer!