Weeping overnight
I remember when my grandfather died. I was quite young and I had no idea what had happened that night, but all I remember is hearing crying late at night. In the morning I learned that he had passed away after a long illness. And of course, the weeping returned at the funeral, as it does. And then it passed. The sadness was there, but the weeping eventually ended.
This is not uncommon in our sadness. When loss, grief or other sadnesses reach into our lives, weeping is only one sign of the pain that is present. And it's difficult to believe it at the time, but it will pass, or at least fade.
As King David writes Psalm 30, he had been in a dark place, facing the ridicule of his enemies, but God delivered him:
Psalm 30:1
1I will exalt you, Lord,for you lifted me out of the depths and did not let my enemies gloat over me.
And more than that. God saved him from a complete descent into darkness:
Psalm 30:2
2 Lord my God, I called to you for help, and you healed me.3You, Lord, brought me up from the realm of the dead; you spared me from going down to the pit.
But King David recognised that he has also done wrong against God, that he had sinned, and that he deserved God's wrath. yet David receives mercy. Despite the way he has treated God, his Heavenly Father still protects him and lifts him up. God's anger subsides and he rescues David. God rescues us from those dark places, even when we have not been faithful to him:
Psalm 30:5
5For his anger lasts only a moment,but his favor lasts a lifetime;weeping may stay for the night,but rejoicing comes in the morning.
In our times of darkness, pain and grief, it is difficult to imagine that the weeping will end. More difficult to imagine that it will turn into joy. But it is also difficult to imagine that God's anger against our sin also passes - that God chooses to forgive and rescue us. God rescues us even when we may not deserve it.
And so what is the appropriate response to Him? When God turns our mourning to dancing, when God's anger passes and we stand forgiven and rescued - what is our response to be?
Psalm 30:11-12
11You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, 12that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent. Lord my God, I will praise you forever.
Our response can only be one of praise - for who He is and what He has done.
And so I'll leave you with a nice little song of praise as a reminder - from Colin Buchanan - based on this beautiful Psalm. (It's not just for kids!)
Mighty to save - Colin Buchanan (YouTube)
Prayer
Heavenly Father,
You alone can rescue. You alone can forgive. Your anger is momentary. Remind me again and again of the joy that comes in the morning. Remind me again and again of your salvation, of your covenant promises, of the hope that I have because of you, even in the darkest times and in the darkest places, so that I may praise you and not be silent.
Amen.