Psalm 30 (NRSV)
Read Psalm 30 on biblegateway.com
Verse 1I will extol you, O Lord, for you have drawn me up, and did not let my foes rejoice over me.
Verse 2O Lord my God, I cried to you for help, and you have healed me.
Verse 3O Lord, you brought up my soul from Sheol, restored me to life from among those gone down to the Pit.
Verse 4Sing praises to the Lord, O you his faithful ones, and give thanks to his holy name.
Verse 5For his anger is but for a moment; his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning.
Verse 6As for me, I said in my prosperity, "I shall never be moved."
Verse 7By your favor, O Lord, you had established me as a strong mountain; you hid your face; I was dismayed.
Verse 8To you, O Lord, I cried, and to the Lord I made supplication:
Verse 9"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?
Verse 10Hear, O Lord, and be gracious to me! O Lord, be my helper!"
Verse 11You have turned my mourning into dancing; you have taken off my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,
Verse 12so that my soul may praise you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever.
Devotion
Last March our 14 year-old grandson, Alex, became extremely ill. For three weeks doctors could not diagnose a disease that made him weaker every day.
Many people prayed as we cried to God for help. Then the answer came. It was not some incurable rare infection, but Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Throughout radiation, chemotherapy, a bone marrow transplant and weeks of isolation, Alex’s spirit remained positive.
His desire to have a guitar was granted as friends contributed money. As Alex struggled with treatments, he wrote about his feelings and set the words to music. How marvelous to receive his songs over the Internet and share in his joy at the discovery of his talent.
The Lord has truly helped us and turned our mourning into dancing. We don’t know what the future holds, but we know the Lord goes with us into the future.
Prayer
Faithful Lord, thank you for healing us and surprising us with your gifts. “Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes in the morning.”