October 12 - Psalm 30

October 12 - Psalm 30:1-12

One thing I have learned from the Psalms is the permission that God has given us to cry and complain to Him when we feel lost and far from Him.

In the beginning of this Psalm, we find David where we are often at when things go well. He is praising God for the good things that have been happening to him. How easy it is to praise God when good things are going on around us!

O Lord, you've brought me up from the depths of despair, you dealt with my enemies so I didn't have to, you've healed my body and brought me back from death. I will sing to you, and everyone should sing to you - praise your holy name. Even though I thought you were angry with me, I was wrong ... your favor lasts a lifetime. Sometimes I can barely sleep through the night because I can't see you and I am stressed, but morning comes and I find you again. (Psalm 30:1-5 - My interpretation).

But, then things change in Psalm 30:6. David sees that his security is based on the fact that he is feeling good about his relationship with God. God has been answering his prayers and the sensation that God is near to him has been prevalent.

"When I felt secure, I said, 'I will never be shaken.' O Lord, when you favored me, you made my mountain stand firm;" (Psalm 30:6-7a)

Now ... look at Psalm 30:7b, "but when you hid your face, I was dismayed."

Wow, this is the way I deal with nearly every relationship I have. When I am confident in the relationship, I face everything in life with that same confidence. I am self-assured and can handle myself with that assurance. As soon as I feel that those strong relationships are pulling away from me, I become destroyed!

When I don't sense God near me, and feel as if He has pulled away from me for any number of reasons - generally because I've done something wrong. I am much more than dismayed, I can barely function.

David spends the next few verses reminding God that there is no good reason for God to be gone from him. "What gain is there in my destruction, in my going down to the pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it proclaim your faithfulness?" (Psalm 30:9)

Oh, I've cried out to God with those same types of words, "Lord, why can you NOT take care of me? Will it be to anyone's good that I face this problem? Where are you?"

David tells me that it's ok to cry out to God with disappointment and confusion because the next words from his pen are, "Hear, O Lord and be merciful to me; O Lord, be my help."

Just because he is lost and confused doesn't mean he is turning to another to fix the problem. All he is looking for from God is assurance that God is paying attention and will love him and be merciful.

In the depths of the pit, David is aware of God's desire to love him. Even when it doesn't feel like it. He will praise God through all of it. I will praise God through all of it. No matter what I do, no matter how far I travel from God, no matter how much pain I am in, no matter what happens to me, I know that:

"You turn my wailing into dancing, you remove my sackcloth and clothe me with joy, that my heart may sing to you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever." (Psalm 30:11-12)