WEEPING IS NOT FOREVER
Psalm 30:4-5, 11-12 NKJV
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.
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.
This is a psalm of David, and after reading through the book of Psalms for a number of times this year, it has become easier to pick out the psalms authored by him. David’s psalms have a certain tone to them. This psalm is a great example. David expresses the great things God has done for him. He also expresses the times when he was up to his neck in adversity. And then ends on a high note of God coming through for him again.
Verse four is David expressing praise and thanks to God. David was expressive in his worship of God. It was David who was dancing before the Lord when he brought the ark of the covenant back to Jerusalem. David was so exuberant that one of his wives was embarrassed of him. But David did not care what she thought; he was intent on praising God. I believe that David is one of the best examples of someone who lived as a worshipper of God. And of course, giving thanks is a big part of a life of worship and praise.
In this psalm, David is singing praise and giving thanks because God’s anger is only for a moment. God’s favor lasts a lifetime. David had experienced both God’s favor and God’s anger and was convinced that God’s anger did not define God. God’s mercy and favor defined Him. And I love the next phrase. “Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning.” Once again, we find David speaking from experience. There were times when David was so distraught that he wept. When his wives and children were kidnapped, and his home burned, David wept until he couldn’t weep any further. But then David strengthened himself in the Lord and kept going. So weeping happens. But joy also happens. There is a time for weeping. The loss of a loved one is a cause for weeping. Stumbling and falling spiritually is a cause for weeping. The causes for weeping are many, but they are not destined to last forever. There is a joy that can come. It may not come in the literal morning, but the main idea is that weeping is temporary, and joy can come again.
This idea of moving from weeping to rejoicing is seen further in verses 11-12. David declares that God has turned his mourning into dancing. And God has put off his sackcloth and clothed him with gladness. David is speaking of what takes place spiritually that can lead to a better place physically. When someone in the Jewish culture would grieve, often they would wear sackcloth. Sackcloth was uncomfortable and scratchy and would, at times, be worn as a garment underneath regular clothing. For someone to wear sackcloth, they were in an unhappy place. But sackcloth was not to be worn full-time. Just as the mourning would be turned to dancing, the sackcloth would be replaced with gladness. From David’s Spirit-inspired perception, weeping, mourning, and sackcloth were changeable. And with God’s grace, they could be replaced with joy, dancing, and gladness.
But isn’t that the Christian life? We all experience times of joy, dancing, and gladness. But we also have seasons dominated by weeping, mourning, and sackcloth. The important principle is that the mourning and weeping are not forever. God and His goodness are forever, and by His grace, the morning comes and brings joy and gladness with it.
PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, for turning my troubles and sadness around. Thank You, I can come out of mourning into joy and gladness.