O LORD my God, I cried to You for help, and You healed me . . . 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 . . . “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. (Psalm 30:2, 4-6, 10-12, NASB)
Psalm 30 was written by King David. It’s titled, “Thanksgiving for Deliverance from Death.” This is a psalm of great contrasts, meant to display David’s moods when he was down, and when God dealt favorably with him. Examples: Anger/favor; weeping/joy; mourning/dancing; sackcloth (worn to mourn)/gladness; and silence/singing praise. The above is my highlights from Psalm 30.
King David begins this excerpt by stating that he cried to God for help, and that God healed him. I’ve cried to God for help many times, and I’m still waiting to be healed from my ALS. Can God heal me? Yes He can if it’s His will. But God doesn’t heal everyone who asks. While I might not be healed in this life, I’ll surely be healed in God’s kingdom. While my legs and arms are useless to me now, I know I’ll run again someday soon. That’s my hope in Christ Jesus!
Next, David exhorts us to “Sing praise to the LORD, you His godly ones, And give thanks to His holy name.” Why? Because “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.” I praise and thank God that His anger lasts but a short time. He has forgiven me very much, and I have an Advocate before Him, arguing my case, in Jesus Christ.
Finally, King David asks God for His grace. God has delivered David from many tight situations, and certain death time after time. For those situations, David is definitely grateful. David is SO grateful that he makes a pledge: “O LORD my God, I will give thanks to You forever.” If you’re a Jesus-follower, you’ll have the opportunity to do just that: Praise God forever in His Kingdom! That’s my hope!