(our daughter, too!)

The brief moment that we have our children in that special place called “home” is over far too quickly.  So I am here to say that we moms and dads should cherish every moment as it occurs, look forward to the next one, and keep the memories in the recesses of our hearts.
For the time will pass—and we can’t do anything about it.  But we can always be moving upward and onward in our love, devotion, and admiration of our children as they make their way along the path of God’s will.
Here is a clipping that has been in one of my wallet windows for two decades:

MAN-CHILD

     Fold his childhood in your heart;
      with teens unfurling,
      he’s embarked to the world of men,
     Hold your love for him apart from his new reserve;
      don’t let it show,
      don’t let him know,
      how hard it is to let him go.
     Keep his childhood tucked away;
      give your love room to grow.
     He must grow apart from you;
      if your love but give him room,
      he’ll find it.
     Learn, heart, learn he doesn’t really go away
      if he’s never pressed to stay,
      if you never let him know
      how hard it is to let him go.
     How hard it is to let him go.
        (—Aileen Fitzpatrick)

Thank you, Lord, for children—and for the plan that tells us how to love them.
Thank you, Helen, for being the mother of mine.
And thank you, Lori and Michael, for being ours.
    
 

Psalm 30:  Happy Thanksgiving for Deliverance from Death 
“O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever.”

 
The heading of this psalm states that it was “for the dedication of the temple.”  The Berkeley Version has a well-worded footnote on this point.  It says, “Temple may refer to the tabernacle David had built, or David may have written this for future use, since he prepared for Solomon’s temple” (p. 563).  Although these headings were not part of the actual Psalms, they usually have their basis in history, so it is interesting that David’s “happy thanksgiving for deliverance from death” was connected with his joy at being able to be a part of the great event described in this heading.
There is a very real sense in which our lives are spared every day and every night.  I knew a young man who would pray, “I thank you for sparing me through the night” as soon as he awakened in the morning.  On the other hand, there are specific points where we are spared form nearby danger (such as disease, accident, or enemy).
It is this kind of crisis which had passed and then prompted the poem we are studying now.
Let us meditate on these 12 verses under five points.

 1.  David suffered (vv. 1-3).
 2.  David sang (vv. 4,5).
 3.  David sinned (vv. 6,7).
 4.  David submitted (vv. 8-10).
 5.  David saw (vv. 11,12).

I will extol You, O LORD, for You have lifted me up, and have not let my foes rejoice over me.  O LORD my God, I cried out to You, and You healed me.   O LORD, You brought my soul up from the grave; you have kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit (vv. 1-3).
The poet began with the statement of his suffering.  He had been in a condition where he needed to be “healed” (v. 2).  This word refers to healing from all kinds of diseases (Psalm 103:3).  It can also refer to “healing” from moral or national issues (in a figurative sense).  The words of these 3 verses lead me to think that David was writing of his own physical problem, that it was something that could give his enemies reason to rejoice, that he had been near death, and that Jehovah had lifted him up (v. 1), thus keeping him alive (v. 3).
His thankfulness is expressed in the words “I will extol you” (v. 1), which, in a play of words, actually means that he would “lift God up” for He had lifted David up!
David had been received from among those who go down to the grave.  Every day, thousands and thousands lose their lives.  Every day that you and I are spared such a fate is a day that should contain our thanksgiving—and all of the other elements that are mentioned in the remainder of Psalm 30.
Sing praise to the LORD, You saints of His, and give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name.  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 (vv. 4,5).
Now our author moved on to his singing.  He sings, and he encourages others to do the same, exactly as we are attempting to do through this study of Psalm 30.  You and I should sing for the following reasons—
 —He is the Lord
 —We are His saints
 —We remember His holiness
 —His anger has been brief
 —His favor has give us life (again)
 —He allowed us to weep (and think)
 —He brought joy in the morning.

And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.  Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord (Colossians 3:15,16).

Now in my prosperity I said, "I shall never be moved."  LORD, by Your favor You have made my mountain stand strong; you hid Your face, and I was troubled (vv. 6,7)
The next part of the psalm revolves around his sin.  In pride, David had said that his prosperity was such a force that he would “never be moved” (“Thou fool, this night...”; see Luke 12:15-21).  His life had not been taken, for in the night of his despair he had called on the Lord, unlike the fool of Luke 15.  When the Lord hid His face, and David was troubled, he called on the Lord.
EXAMINE OURSELVES!  When we begin to rely on prosperity in pride (or anything else) other than the One who can “make our mountain strong”—and when we are reminded (or chastised) for our folly—DO WE CALL UPON HIM??  The pattern of David’s life included some really bad days that were his own fault, but the pattern also included SELF-EXAMINATION that led to repentance every time (see Psalm 19:13,14; 51:1ff; 139:23,24).
 
I cried out to You, O LORD; and to the LORD I made supplication: "What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit? Will the dust praise You? Will it declare Your truth?  Hear, O LORD, and have mercy on me; LORD, be my helper!" (vv. 8-10).
The fact that he submitted to Jehovah is the next point of the psalm.  “Supplication” means “to cry for mercy.”  In other words, David needed to be healed from the malady that had placed him among those who were going to the pit, and from the pride which had made God turn away.  So he “supplicated” the only One Who could supply!
If he were to die (v. 9), he could no longer be a voice for the Lord here on earth.  And although death is certain (Hebrews 9:27), and life is short (Psalm 90:1ff; James 4:13-17), we are not out of line to at least ask Him—humbly—to forgive and prolong our lives for His glory.  There are too few people on this earth who are “declaring His truth,” so we should do as much as we can for as long as we can.
His submissiveness was clear, as the words of verse 10 emphasize.  He wanted and needed mercy (pity).  He wanted and needed help.  So do we—so let us bow and ask (Matthew 7:7-11).
You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, 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 (vv. 11,12).
Finally, David wrote of the fact that he “saw” happiness and joy as a result of the answer of God to his despair.  The complete turnaround in his life was from mourning to dancing; from sackcloth to gladness.  The “end,” or purpose, (meaning “in order that”) he had was reversed.  He was back on track and would be “singing His praises.”  He would no longer sing his own praises (see v. 6).  And this would be “forever.”
Let us close our study by going back to the word “extol” in verse 1.  Let us learn from it that God is often lifting us up (often from bad circumstances that we have made for ourselves), and let us learn that our privilege and responsibility is to lift Him up as our banner, ensign, and cause in thankfulness (Exodus 17:14-16; Luke 9:23).
    — Skip Andrews
 
 
 

Next Week:
Psalm 31

Hoping in 
Jehovah will keep me from being ashamed.
 
 
 
 

Verse of the Week:
 “Thy word is very pure: therefore thy servant loveth it”
(Psalm 119:140).
 
 

VOLUME 1:31              OCTOBER 3, 1999