2 O Lord my God, I cried to you for help,
and you have healed me.

3 O Lord, you have brought up my soul from Sheol;
you restored me to life from among those who go down to the pit.

4 Sing praises to the Lord, O you his saints,
and give thanks to his holy name.

5 For his anger is but for a moment,
and his favor is for a lifetime.
Weeping may tarry for the night,
but joy comes with the morning.

6 As for me, I said in my prosperity,
“I shall never be moved.”

7 By your favor, O Lord,
you made my mountain stand strong;
you hid your face;
I was dismayed.

8 To you, O Lord, I cry,

and to the Lord I plead for mercy:

9 “What profit is there in my death,
if I go down to the pit?
Will the dust praise you?
Will it tell of your faithfulness?

10 Hear, O Lord, and be merciful to me!
O Lord, be my helper!”

11 You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;
you have loosed my sackcloth
and clothed me with gladness,

12 that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent.
O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever!

David was sick and near death (v. 2-3) and his enemies would triumph over him (v. 1). David says he believed he would not be shaken when things were going well. He forgot who made him stand like a strong mountain (v. 6). In this passage, David finds the depravity and terror of turning from God (v. 7). Death. Lament. Weeping. David cries out for help and grace, and he receives it (v. 10). His lament turned to dancing, and he no longer has a sackcloth, but clothed with gladness. Praising God’s name forever.  

I am reminded of Colossians 1:15-16, where it says “He [speaking of Jesus] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.” David demonstrates this so well in Psalm 30, where he says “What profit is there in my death, if I go down to the pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it tell you of your faithfulness? (v. 9). Our lives are God’s, and God’s alone. The moment we forget who holds us up (v. 7), we are nothing. 

I think Psalm 30 is a beautiful depiction of what Jesus has done for us on the cross. In our sin, we think we are the sustainer of our lives, of our greatness. Just as David believed he could not be shaken, so we act. We forget or refuse to believe, God is the sustainer of our lives. We have turned away from God, and it’s terrifying. We are so broken, so near death. Lamenting and weeping. We cry out to God asking for help, because of the death and brokenness we face. He is faithful. And good. And just. He delivers us. He turns death to life, weeping to praise, and darkness to light. For that, we can rejoice. Sing it loud, and forever. 

Lord, forgive us. Forgive us of our pride. Forgive us of how easily we forget you are our sustainer, our giver of life. Thank you for turning our weeping into joy, our darkness into light. We will sing your praises, forever. For you are Holy.