Joy – it’s hard to find joy in life these days. Nevertheless, when we surrender our whole lives to Jesus, we receive a supernational joy! This psalm was written in 1003 BC by King David, who is finally king of a united Israel (2 Samuel 5, 1 Chronicles 11). Let’s dig in…
Psalm 30
A Psalm. A Song at the dedication of the house of David.
I will extol You, O Lord, for You have lifted me up,
And have not let my foes rejoice over me.
2 O Lord my God, I cried out to You,
And You healed me.
3 O Lord, You brought my soul up from the grave;
You have kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.4 Sing praise to the Lord, you saints of His,
And give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name.
5 For His anger is but for a moment,
His favor is for life;
Weeping may endure for a night,
But joy comes in the morning.6 Now in my prosperity I said,
“I shall never be moved.”
7 Lord, by Your favor You have made my mountain stand strong;
You hid Your face, and I was troubled.8 I cried out to You, O Lord;
And to the Lord I made supplication:
9 “What profit is there in my blood,
When I go down to the pit?
Will the dust praise You?
Will it declare Your truth?
10 Hear, O Lord, and have mercy on me;
Lord, be my helper!”11 You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;
Psalm 30 NKJV
You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness,
12 To the end that my glory may sing praise to You and not be silent.
O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever.
Points to Ponder
Pastor Sandy Adams explains the history behind this psalm…
When David became king over all Israel, he moved his capitol city from Hebron to Jerusalem. King Hiram of Tyre saw that David was a rising star and wanted to remain Israel’s ally, so he sent men and materials to build a palace. Psalm 30 was written for the dedication of David’s White House.
In verse 1, note the play on words – “extol” which means “to lift up.” God lifted David out of exile and made him king. Now David will lift up the Lord in praise.
David was on the run from Saul for 7½ years. Saul chased and hunted David like wounded deer. David had been the object of lies. He pleaded for God to vindicate him and deliver him, yet there were times when it seemed that God had turned a deaf ear to his cries.
Imagine 7½ years of sleepless nights, countless bouts of despair, and who knows how many tears. Yet a new day has dawned for David… His years in exile are over! He’s gone from the pit to the pinnacle – from pain to the palace – from cave to coronation. David is now king of Israel. And looking back, David realizes his long nights were filled with many lessons. It’s been said, “Joys are our wings. Sorrows are our spurs.”
God uses pain and sorrow in our lives, but thankfully only for a season. For the child of God “weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.” His anger is for a moment, but His favor is for a lifetime! God will spank a child. He’s not afraid to use the belt on one of His kids, but the paddling is tempered with mercy – and always teaches a lesson.
Charles Spurgeon once wrote, “God soon turns from His wrath, but He never turns from His love.” God’s discipline is always a sign of His love.
But the experience of an unbeliever is just the opposite… His joy is for a moment, while his weeping is forever. There’s a difference between an unbeliever in need of a Savior and a believer in need of a spanking. An unbeliever has done nothing to appease God’s anger over his sin. He’s left to feel God’s wrath over sin for the remainder of eternity.
The words “put off” mean “to tear off.” The Lord doesn’t like to see us grieving and mourning. As soon as we repent of our sin, He’s quick to tear off the sackcloth and clothe us with glory and singing! Salvation is a swap – dancing for depression! Fall to your knees and you’ll soon be doing a jig with your feet!
Sandy Adams
Jesus Looked Past the Cross to Eternal Joy
The lesson today at my church was about joy…
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. 2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. 3 Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up. 4 After all, you have not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin.
Hebrews 12:1-4 NLT
Satan has a terrible habit of wanting to add burdens to our lives. Furthermore, he loves to trip us up as we try to become more Christlike. Every day he’ll bring back a memory of your past sinful life and try to tempt you. However, if we keep our eyes on JESUS — and Jesus ONLY — we will send Satan and his evil cronies running.
What was the joy awaiting Jesus?
Jesus knew the cross was going to be a horrible experience, yet He endured it. The joy was more than just a seat next to Father God in heaven.
Peter wrote…
18 Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit.
1 Peter 3:18 NLT
James, Jesus’ brother, wrote…
2 Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. 3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. 4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.
James 1:2-4 NLT
Paul wrote something similar…
3 We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. 4 And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. 5 And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.
6 When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners.
Romans 5:3-6 NLT
Joy is also a fruit of the Spirit!
How to Pray Psalm 30 and Feel the Joy!
It is the absolute truth that you cannot feel sad when you are praising God! So, pray this psalm back to God. Simply take out pen and paper and write it out in your own words. Here’s my version…
I will exalt you, Lord, for you rescued me! O Lord my God, I cried to you for help, and you restored my health. You brought me up from the grave, O Lord. You kept me from falling into the pit of death. You saved me from me!
I will sing to You, Lord, and praise your Holy Name! Your anger lasts only a moment, but your favor lasts a lifetime! Weeping and sadness may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.
Your favor, O Lord, made me as secure as a mountain. I cried out to you, O Lord, I begged for your mercy. Hear me, Lord, and have mercy on me. Help me, O Lord.
You turned my mourning, fear, and sadness into joyful dancing. You took away my death clothes and clothed me with joy. I will not be silent, I will sing Your praises and give You thanks forever.
Paraphrase on Psalm 30 by Giselle Aguiar
Jesus endured the cross so He could have the joy of saving us from hell. He didn’t die so we could have religion! What brings Jesus joy is a personal relationship with YOU. When you accept Him as your Lord and Savior you will feel His Joy!
Do You Feel His Joy!
If you’re not sure if you’re saved or not, if you truly want to be born again and have the assurance of salvation, receive the Holy Spirit, feel His Shalom — a peace that surpasses all understanding, and get a 1-way, non-stop ticket to Heaven after you die, or that you won’t be left behind at the Rapture, which can happen at any moment, this is what you have to do…
Believe. Repent. Be Baptized. Receive the Holy Spirit.
- Believe — have Faith — that Jesus is the Christ and He died taking your sins away forever and that He rose from the dead 3 days later.
- Repent of your sins — stop sinning! Do a complete 180-degree turn in your life and surrender your life to Him. When you ask Jesus to forgive you He will. ALL your sins will be wiped clean — past, present, and future! And All means ALL!
- Be Baptized by water baptism — show the world and yourself that you have died to your old life and are born again in Christ.
- Receive the gift of Holy Spirit in your heart.