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A Prayer of Thanksgiving

Psalm 30

Good News Translation (GNT)

"Hebrew Title:
  A song for the dedication of the Temple;
  a psalm by David"

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  1  I praise you, Lord, because you have saved
   me and kept my enemies from gloating over
   me.
  2  I cried to you for help, O Lord my God, and
   you healed me;
  3  you kept me from the grave. I was on my way
   to the depths below,(a) but you restored my
   life.
  4  Sing praise to the Lord, all his faithful people!
   Remember what the Holy One has done, and
   give him thanks!
  5  His anger lasts only a moment, his goodness
   for a lifetime. Tears may flow in the night,
   but joy comes in the morning.
  6  I felt secure and said to myself, I will never be
   defeated."
  7  You were good to me, Lord; you protected me
   like a mountain fortress. But then you hid
   yourself from me, and I was afraid.
  8  I called to you, Lord; I begged for your help:
  9  What will you gain from my death? What profit
   from my going to the grave? Are dead people
   able to praise you? Can they proclaim your
   unfailing goodness?
10  Hear me, Lord, and be merciful! Help me,
   Lord!"
11  You have changed my sadness into a joyful
   dance; you have taken away my sorrow and
   surrounded me with joy.
12  So I will not be silent; I will sing praise to you.
   Lord, you are my God;
   I will give you thanks forever.

   Footnotes
   Psalm 30:3 The world of the dead.

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Taken from 'word-on-the-web' supplied by the
Scripture Union

A Prayer of Thanksgiving

     Psalm 30

There is much debate about the context of this psalm. Was it written by David when he built his palace, or written (by faith) in anticipation of the building of the Temple?

Whatever the uncertainty about the context, there can be no doubt about David's climactic conclusions, contained in verses 11 and 12.

David describes two glorious actions of God.
In the first, God turned his 'wailing into dancing' (v 11).
This is a transformation of the heart, expressed in action. God has lifted the heavy weight from David's heart, one that caused him to mourn, and in its place has given him the power of dance through the reality of heavenly joy!

The second action is even more dramatic, removing David's sackcloth and clothing him with joy. God did not just remove but tore away the garments of grief and then clothed David with life and hope.

The purpose is that David may 'sing and not be silent (v 12).
God wanted to hear the praise of his servant rather than the silence of his grief, a confession that comes when holy hope is injected into the heart of pain.

Many years later, two men lay in a prison cell having been beaten and unfairly accused for the cause of Jesus. At midnight, instead of letting their bruises scream or their pain drum the beat, they were 'praying and singing hymns to God' and all the other prisoners were listening to them (Acts 16:25).

Paul and Silas, just like David, had experienced an inner transformation and, although they could not dance, they made a choice to rejoice, letting their voices scale the prison walls and release them (at least on the inside) from their chains.

Though hundreds of years apart, their confession was the same, 'Lord my God, I will praise you for ever' (v 12).

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