Business Note:
We're going to start the second month of studying the Psalms. For September, we're going to add 30 to the day's date and read that Psalm together. Tomorrow, for example, we will read Psalm 31 (the 1st + 30). To make it work, though, we we're going to do Psalm 30 today, even though the 30th was actually yesterday (Sunday).
Psalm 30
"I will extol You, O LORD, for You have lifted me up,
And have not let my enemies rejoice over me. O LORD my God,I cried to You for help, and You healed me. O LORD, You have brought up my soul from Sheol; You have kept me alive, that I would not go down to the pit. Sing praise to the LORD, you His godly ones, And give thanks to His holy name. 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. Now as for me, I said in my prosperity, "I will never be moved."
O LORD, by Your favor You have made my mountain to stand strong; You hid Your face, I was dismayed.To You, O LORD, I called, And to the Lord I made supplication:"What profit is there in my blood, if I go down to the pit? Will the dust praise You? Will it declare Your faithfulness?"
Hear, O LORD, and be gracious to me; O LORD, be my helper." You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have loosed my sackcloth and girded me with gladness, That my soul may sing praise to You and not be silent O LORD my God, I will give thanks to You forever."
The pattern we see in this Psalm is not new. David is dismayed and makes supplication to the Lord. He reminds himself of God's faithfulness and rejoices in God's promises. When I read this Psalm, however, I was struck by the sentence: "What profit is there in my blood, if I go down to the pit? Will the dust praise You? Will it declare Your faithfulness?" It's almost like David is telling God "Hey, you have to help me here. If I succumb to my circumstances, what good is it? Isn't it better if I prevail so that I can praise and glorify You?" Reading this Psalm reminded me of our overarching reason for being here --we are made to praise!
So, if giving glory to God is my reason for being here, how am I doing? I had a situation recently where I truly had to rely on God. I was facing a situation that was a mountain for me, personally, although the circumstances might not have been a big deal for someone else. I really had to rely on the Lord to get through it. Once I got through the difficulty and and arrived on the other side, I thanked the Lord -- with a quick, perfunctory "thank you". Though I was greatly relieved to have gotten through the situation, I quickly diminished God's role in the process and began attributing the success to other things. When I read this Psalm, I realized how "off" my thinking had become.
David's words reminded me of my purpose. I exist to praise God and give Him glory. Lord, help me to fulfill my purpose by aligning my heart with Yours and giving you praise in all circumstances. May Your name be lifted up.
2 comments:
Great question! Praise is so important in our relationship with our Heavenly Father, our Savior, Lord, and King. It is key in our prayer lives, just as it is in David's life. The key that turns our "mourning into dancing, puts off our sackcloth, & girds us with gladness," giving Him ALL Praise, honor and glory! Talk about the prayer of faith!
Yes, We are always "relearning" that the Glory goes to God, the thanks, the praise. But we, who love to control, need His gentle reminders, thru His Word, thru other Christians, thru quiet time, thru the Holy Spirit, thru struggles, thru life events. And how quickly I often forget where the strength, wisdom, ideas, success and failure comes from.
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