Daily Reading: 4-7-16
Psalm 30:1-5 New Living Translation (NLT)
A psalm of David. A song for the dedication of the Temple.
1
I will exalt you, Lord, for you rescued me.
You refused to let my enemies triumph over me.
2
O Lord my God, I cried to you for help,
and you restored my health.
3
You brought me up from the grave, O Lord.
You kept me from falling into the pit of death.
4
Sing to the Lord, all you godly ones!
Praise his holy name.
5
For his anger lasts only a moment,
but his favor lasts a lifetime!
Weeping may last through the night,
but joy comes with the morning.
Distress (anxiety, sorrow, pain) is a very real part of the human life; no one is exempt from the experience. However, David teaches us God is the Deliverer. For those of us who enter into the new covenant with God (“godly ones” verse 4; commit to love and serve God with our whole being and love our neighbors as ourselves), He rescues us and extends lovingkindness as we stay focused on love.
David may have been speaking to the fact the temple dedication was delayed due to some severe illness. Regardless of the reason, David calls God’s people to a place of thanksgiving for their lives and for His healing touch of wholeness. David does not elaborate on the distress or the causes; rather, He focuses the people on the goodness of God. As we look at verse five, our poet does an amazing job of putting things into a thanksgiving perspective in order to stir a grateful attitude in God’s people: God’s anger is momentary, but God’s favor is for a lifetime…We may weep at night, but God brings joy with the morning. This is a beautiful picture of God’s mercy at work in the lives of His children. David is correct; praise should be on our lips! God’s anger is actually aimed at sin not at people; if we allow the distress we experience to cause us to turn to God, we can experience the favor and joy of our Deliverer, too.
Prayer: Father, thank You for providing this song of thanksgiving for me to read, today. Distress does not control me. Help me to focus on Your mercy and goodness, because you are my Deliverer. In Jesus’ name. Amen.