Friday, December 17, 2021 Psalm 30:1-12
"Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing." (vs.11) The transformation has taken place in his heart. God has taken away his inner gloom and given him instead an inner glow. Sighs have given way to songs, songs which set his feet in motion, that make him want to dance.
Not just dancing, but "Thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness (joy)." (12) The expression "put off" is a vivid one. The word is literally, "torn open," thus "Thou hast torn off my sackcloth." The gods of the heathen delight to see their worshipers in sackcloth, with long faces. Even Martin Luther used to think that God, even the true God, was like that. But God wants to tear off our sackcloth.
"To the end that my glory may sing praise to Thee, and not be silent. O Lord, my God, I will give thanks unto Thee forever." (12) John Bunyan in Pilgrim's Progress tells us of a man with a muckrake in his hand, forever grubbing in the muck and mire of earth, not knowing that over his head there hovered a crown of glory, because he never looked up. David suddenly looked up, dropped the muckrake with which he had been turning over and over his fears and failures, and saw that crown. He seized it with both hands. His life was gloriously channeled: "I will give thanks unto Thee." Forever! What a way to end!
