psalm 30

Psalm 30 (NRSV)
1 I will extol you, O Lord, for you have drawn me up,
and did not let my foes rejoice over me.
2 O Lord my God, I cried to you for help,
and you have healed me.
3 O Lord, you brought up my soul from Sheol,
restored me to life from among those gone down to the Pit.a
4 Sing praises to the Lord, O you his faithful ones,
and give thanks to his holy name.
5 For his anger is but for a moment;
his favor is for a lifetime.
Weeping may linger 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 had established me as a strong mountain;
you hid your face;
I was dismayed.


Lord,
How wise is this poet! “I said in my prosperity, ‘I shall never be moved.’” You had made him as strong as a mountain. And then, in the midst of all of that prosperity and security, “you hid your face; I was dismayed”!

It could have been written this morning. We were wealthy. The market was sky high. We were indestructible. Like the Rockies, nobody could do anything to us. And then it crashed. Portfolios and annuities evaporated like shallow water on a hot day. Jobs have disappeared and suddenly it seems as if “you hid your face.” We are dismayed.

So here we are, making our supplication. Take us through this time. Where in our prosperity, we took you for granted, restore us to a rightful relationship with you. Let our fear be the occasion for our repentance and our losses the cause of a new quest for justice and mercy.

Do we ask for the restoration of our resources? We do. We pray for jobs and the financial means necessary for all to have the lives that you intend for all of your children. Do not forsake us Lord in our time of confusion and anxiety. And make true again the ancient words of the poet that your anger is but for a moment but your favor lasts a lifetime.

PERSONAL PRAYERS:
Ask God to calm your fears and to transform your anxiety into confidence in God’s gracious favor.
Name 5 things for which you are grateful and say “thank you” to God.

In Christ’s name,
Amen.

[1]

a Or that I should not go down to the Pit

[1] The Holy Bible : New Revised Standard Version. Nashville : Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989