Psalm 30

Read Psalm 30

“I will extol you, O Lord!” David wanted to build the temple in Jerusalem and made extensive preparations for the completion of this great endeavor. By the time his son, Solomon, was presiding over the dedication of this new sanctuary, David had breathed his last. Yet this psalm was a gift that he prepared for the people of God to sing on that day.

Psalm 30 told the story of one man who had suffered greatly, cried out to God, and was lifted up by the Lord from his sickbed. It was a psalm of resurrection that this one faithful worshiper had experienced. He had gone down “to the pit” and was then “restored to life.”

Based on all that death and resurrection, this worshiper now urged all of God's people to sing praises to God. He said, “Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.”

He also reflected upon earlier days of “prosperity” when death seemed unimaginable. But when trouble came and the Lord hid His face from His holy servant, this dying man was greatly “dismayed.”

At that point of despair this worshiper had again cried out to God. “What profit is there in my death, if I go down to the pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it tell of your faithfulness?” He knew that he needed life to bring glory to the Lord. He cried out to God again and was heard.

Instead of garments of mourning, he was clothed with “gladness.” He had been lying in “Sheol,” but now he was dancing again! His message, which David prepared for the next generation to sing at the dedication of the temple in Jerusalem, reaches down to us today as we look up to a better sanctuary that we have not yet seen. Because of the death and resurrection of the Messiah, we will not be left in the grave. We will be lifted up to the land of life. Joy will come in the morning.

Prayer from A Book of Prayers

Father God, we know the day of difficulty, and the day of Your great deliverance. We have been foolish in sin, but You have granted us repentance. When You hid Your face, we cried out to You. You have heard us and helped us. We will rejoice in Your presence forevermore.