Thursday, September 28, 2023
Joy Comes in the Morning – Psalm 30 Submitted by Kay Crumley
Many of us face challenges and discouragements only to have relief provided to us in unexpected ways. In Psalm 30 David is sure of the source of his deliverance. He is celebrating the completion of his palace. It is magnificent in its splendor. He is dedicating it to the Lord and giving Him all the honor and praise. David recalls some of the past challenges of his life and is crediting God with bringing him to the place in his life.
1 I will exalt you, Lord,
because you have lifted me up
and have not allowed my enemies
to triumph over me.
2 Lord my God,
I cried to you for help, and you healed me.
3 Lord, you brought me up from Sheol;
you spared me from among those
going down to the Pit.
4 Sing to the Lord, you his faithful ones,
and praise his holy name.
David is praising God for the fact that he has not been killed by his enemies. David knew that God established him as King of Israel. The first King of Israel, King Saul, tried to have David killed yet God was ever present to guide David and give him victory over his enemies. David knew that the kingdom he ruled really belonged to God. David was just the overseer not the Master over the Kingdom of Israel. In that capacity, David’s desire was to be used by God to bless God’s people.
He recalls that God had lifted him out of the pit, the grave, and had healed him. Many times, in David’s life, God protected him from certain destruction. Now he is praising God for sparing him from death. Now, at this time of celebration and dedication of his palace, David is imploring those gathered around to join him is praising God’s Holy name.
David is overcome but the outpouring of God’s love and protection to him. We must take time to review the circumstances of our lives and look back at ways God has intervened. As we begin to recognize His hand of protection, guidance, and grace we need to take time to praise and thank Him. That may cause us to be so full of gratitude that we will, like David, realize that our one voice isn’t enough to fully praise Him. We will be compelled to share the goodness of God in our own lives with others and implore them to join us in worshipping Him. While we may not have the same dramatic history that we’ll fine as we study King David’s life that doesn’t mean we have not experienced His grace. Don’t fail to miss His blessings in even the common course of our lives. Perhaps being just a bit late to your destination has allowed you miss being in a wreck. I try always to remember that God can, and does, use the circumstances that may aggravate me to turn it in to a blessing if I am only open to seeing His hand at work.
In vs 5 David shows an important reason for praising God.
5 For his anger lasts only a moment,
but his favor, a lifetime.
Weeping may stay overnight,
but there is joy in the morning.
God is our judge, and He must correct us for us to be molded into His image. His anger for our disobedience is an indication that He cares for us and loves us enough to discipline us. The good news is that His anger is short lived but His favor, His grace, lasts a lifetime, it endures forever. We experience times of remorse, deep sadness, and weeping when the Holy Spirit convicts us of our sin, our disobedience to Him. However, there is joy in the morning when we have experienced His forgiveness. Morning always follows night, God’s comfort and joy is restored to His people who seek Him and repent of their sin. This is the image of the suffering of Christ as He died on the cross followed by the joy in the morning because of His resurrection.
We can have the same confidence that David had that our Savior will bring joy to our lives as we seek His favor by spending time with Him in study, prayer, and obediently living by His precepts. David ended this chapter the way he began it, vs 12b Lord my God, I will praise you forever. I pray that I will praise God forever, He is worthy of ALL our praise.
