THINGS CAN CHANGE FOR THE BETTER
PSALM 30:1-3; 11-12
PSALM 30:1-3; 11-12 NKJ
1 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.
11 You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;
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.
OBSERVATION:
The notes in my bible say this psalm was a song that was sung at the dedication of the house of David.
Dedicating a house was a Jewish custom. Evidently, David wrote a psalm to give thanks and honor God. He may have been looking back and thinking about all the times the Lord helped him. As we look at this psalm, we can see a man who, through God's help, was able to overcome some challenges.
David started with giving thanks because the Lord had lifted him up, and his enemies did not rejoice over him. David had enemies, and David must have had low times, but God! But God helped him out of the low times, and his enemies had nothing to be glad about. That's a change for the better.
David must have dealt with sickness because he cried out to God and God healed him. That is certainly a change for the better.
It appears that David was at death's door because God kept him alive. With all the battles he fought, David most likely faced some near-death moments. But God kept him alive, and he did not see death. From death to life is a close call but would qualify as a big change for the better.
In verses eleven and twelve, David rejoices that he was mourning, but now he is dancing. He was clothed in sackcloth mourning clothes but is now clothed with gladness. He may have been speaking figuratively, but I tend to believe this was a real experience for a man who endured some very sorrowful times.
David winds up praising God and giving thanks. He is a man who has seen good and bad times. But he is also a man who has confidence that God can change things for the better.
APPLICATION:
As a believer in the Lord Jesus, one of the things that should set us apart is our hope in God. Our hope that we are not stuck. Not destined to always live in the low, sorrowful places of mourning. With God, things can change. And they can change for the better.
PRAYER:
Lord, I will praise and exalt You. I will give thanks to You forever. You have helped me, lifted me, and caused things to change in my life for the better.