November 12: Mourning into dancing

I cried out to you, O Lord. I begged the Lord for mercy, saying, “What will you gain if I die, if I sink into the grave? Can my dust praise you? Can it tell of your faithfulness? Hear me, Lord, and have mercy on me. Help me, O Lord.” You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing. You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy, that I might sing praises to you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever. (Psalm 30:8-12 — New Living Translation)

King David asked for this psalm to be read at the dedication of the Temple his son would build, a building he would never see. He felt that it would be an appropriate message for such a majestic building, and an interesting note is that throughout the psalm David makes it clear that God had rescued him from trouble, death, and pride. This is what makes God such a great god, and this was also what made David a great man of God, he was humble and unafraid to admit his weaknesses, and to make it clear that God was the reason for his success.

Have you ever noticed how we can pray for something for weeks, months, or even years and not receive and answer, and then in a moment of desperation cry out once and receive the answer we’ve been waiting so long for? People cry out to God throughout the Bible, and one thing that always follows this extreme type of prayer is God’s answer. It’s the type of prayer we make when we are fed up, when we’ve had enough, or when we are facing death or ruin.

Another interesting note about David’s prayer is that he reasoned with God… he didn’t talk about doctrine, or about his own goodness — instead he explained why he needed his prayer to be answered, he wrestled with God. “What will You gain if I die?” he asked. From all I see in the Bible, and what I’ve experienced in my life, God loves for us to present intelligent arguments to Him and insist that He do what He’s promised in His Word.

This type of extreme, no-holds-barred praying turns mourning into dancing… in turns clothes of mourning into clothes of joy. If you are unhappy with your life, if troubles keep growing, it is time for you to cry out to God and ask Him to rescue you.