Psalm 30: 2, 4-6, 11-13
“At nightfall, weeping enters in,
but with the dawn, rejoicing.”
This is a Psalm that Jesus himself might
have prayed, following his resurrection --
“I praise you, Lord, for you raised me up
and did not let my enemies rejoice over me.”
Our Lord Jesus himself was raised up
from the pit by the Father, even though
He bore the weight of our sins.
“Lord you brought me up from Sheol;
you let me live, from going down to the pit.”
God’s anger over the sins of all men,
that Christ took upon himself, lasted
but a moment -- “Divine anger lasts
but a moment; divine favor lasts a lifetime.”
The Psalm speaks to us as we take part
in the joy of Easter. The joy of the resurrection
comes to us at dawn, after a terrible night,
as it came to those early followers of Jesus.
“At nightfall, weeping enters in, but with the
dawn, rejoicing.” And that alone is reason
enough to change our “mourning into dancing.”
The Psalm concludes with praise that is
worthy of the Lamb, and recalls for us the
voices of the angels that John speaks of in
our 2nd reading: “O Lord, my God, forever
will I give you thanks.”
Amen
Discussion Questions for Reflection
1. Our psalmist says that God's anger lasts but a moment,
while His favor lasts a lifetime. Give an example of how
you have been blessed by God's favor after having fallen
away for a time.
2. The Psalm speaks of changing our mourning
into dancing. Tell of how the resurrection of our Lord
has lifted you up and brought within you a rejoicing of the spirit.
Problems and events frequently appear to be at their worst at night! The old wives' solution of ...."sleep on it"....has a lot of merit.
ReplyDeleteAfter an evening of talking to Jesus (prayer), and turning the problem over to Him, it's much easier to get a restful night's sleep. Then in the morning, things generally look and sound so much better/easier to deal with, especially if it's a beautiful sunny day! Just sit back and listen, and He will help you.
God shepherds his holy people because we all are undergoing the same kind of suffering. God's anger -- which is a sharp pain including physical suffering, mental illness, being emotionally depressed and disturbed for a time -- warns us to turn away from sin. After having fallen away a few times, I realized that I have been blessed by God's favor. Through these painful
ReplyDeleteexperiences, my weeping and mourning turn into dancing. I am able to rejoice in my sufferings. 1 Peter 5:10, "The God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong,firm and steadfast." Divine favor lasts a lifetime, doesn't it ?