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
Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, friend of Martin Luther King, Jr., said, “Religion has declined not because it had been successfully argued against, but because it has become irrelevant, dull, oppressive, uninteresting.” Ever been to worship where you wondered, where is the closest exit?
We have been trained our whole lives to consume, and that even includes worship. But listen to the joy of the psalmist: “You did it: you changed wild lament into whirling dance; You ripped off my black mourning band and decked me with wildflowers. I'm about to burst with song.” (The Message) Jesus asked the disciples in a parable which servant appreciated having their debt forgiven more: the one with a little debt or the one with the absurd-never-going-to-see-the-light-of-day debt? We are left to finish the parable ourselves.
This psalm and parable get at the explosive, joy-inducing freedom of the gift of faith. Who needs to hear that message today?
Prayer
Abba, forgive us for caging the joy of relationship with you. Set us free to be your people for the world. Amen.