Thanksgiving for Deliverance from Death.
A Psalm; a Song at the Dedication of the House. A Psalm of David.
30 I will extol You, O Lord, for You have lifted me up,
And have not let my enemies rejoice over me.
2 O Lord my God,
I cried to You for help, and You healed me.
3 O Lord, You have brought up my soul from [a]Sheol;
You have kept me alive, [b]that I would not go down to the pit.
4 Sing praise to the Lord, you His godly ones,
And give thanks to His holy [c]name.
5 For His anger is but for a moment,
His favor is for a lifetime;
Weeping may last for the night,
But a shout of joy comes in the morning.6 Now as for me, I said in my prosperity,
“I will never be moved.”
7 O Lord, by Your favor You have made my mountain to stand strong;
You hid Your face, I was dismayed.
8 To You, O Lord, I called,
And to the Lord I made supplication:
9 “What profit is there in my blood, if I go down to the pit?
Will the dust praise You? Will it declare Your faithfulness?10 “Hear, O Lord, and be gracious to me;
O Lord, be my helper.”
11 You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;
You have loosed my sackcloth and girded me with gladness,
12 That my [d]soul may sing praise to You and not be silent.
O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever.
A recurring theme in this psalm is that life happens. David wasn’t crying out to God because life was peachy. No, he had gone through some real struggles: from running for his life while Saul chased him, to facing off with the Philistine leader when they suspected him of treachery. Side note, they were right, because David would never lift his hand against his fellow Israelites. Even later in life, when his reign seemed secure, David’s own son tried to kill him and take the throne.
So yes, life happened to David, and life happens to us all. Yet David found a truth in all of the hardships he faced, and he shares it in verse 5. Sorrow and hardships are temporary, but God’s mercy is everlasting, and there is always hope at the other end of our struggles. Even when our troubles are of our own making, and God’s discipline becomes a reality for us, a repentant heart (and a healthy dose of God’s grace) puts us back on the right track, on God’s path.
When life gives you lemons, trust God and know that He’s really making lemonade (or something even better, like lemon meringue pie). God wants what is best for us, and when we put our trust in Him, He will never let us go. Most certainly, He will not make our life a bed of roses, because that wouldn’t be best for us, nor would it make us more like Jesus. Yet He can, and will, use the trials in this life to “produce a harvest of righteousness”. And along the way, He freely gives us His joy, His peace, and His strength to make it through to daylight. Hang on, and stay the course, it will be worth it.