Everything seemed bleak during the early part of David's life as his enemies were many; including the national enemies of his people as well as personal enemies such as Saul, the king. David continued to express confidence and hope in God. It is that undying confidence that is the rock of our hope. God is good. God is love. God is just, and He will ultimately prevail, as will His faithful children. In life, in death and in life again.

For His anger is but for a moment,
His favor is for a lifetime;
Weeping may last for the night,
But a shout of joy comes in the morning.
(Psalm 30:5)

One very strong point of this verse is that trials are temporary and can never bring defeat if we will remain faithful unto our God. One day, the last enemy will be conquered, the night will fade forever, and eternal day will dawn. David, the inspired writer and prophet captures so well the principle of enduring faith and the victory it will bring. We always need to be mindful of this lesson in our daily lives, especially during times of crises. This confidence will make us strong, and keep us calm, and brighten otherwise dark days.

Bad Times Do Not Bring Defeat to the Faithful (Palm 30:1-3)
In time of need, when there is no other solution, or even when there are several, the first priority is to call upon the Lord.

I will extol You, O LORD, for You have lifted me up,
And have not let my enemies rejoice over me.
2 O LORD my God,
I cried to You for help, and You healed me.
3 O LORD, You have brought up my soul from Sheol;
You have kept me alive, that I would not go down to the pit. (Psalm 30:1-3)

The sinner who desires to come to God must call upon the name of Christ, the Lord (Acts 2:21; 4:12; 2:36-38; 22:16). This response to the gospel is trusting in God to assist and lift us out of the most critical distress of all! (Colossians 2:12). That is always the first order of business for those who have not yet come to God to be saved by grace through faith.

In all of life's distresses, walking with God gives confidence and hope. This is true when the distress is caused by the wicked, cruel and unjust (Hebrews 13:6) and is true even when they successfully inflict great evil (Romans 8:31-39). Faith in Jesus is our source of confidence (John 11:25,26). The less faith we have, the less confident we are. Do not cast away confidence by neglecting the building of a strong spiritual foundation (Hebrews 10:35-39).

The Support of My Brethren (Psalm 30:4)
A part of developing an enduring spiritual foundation of which we have just spoken comes from standing shoulder to shoulder with other committed brethren and sharing strength with strength (Hebrews 10:23-25).

Sing praise to the LORD, you His godly ones,
And give thanks to His holy name. (Psalm 30:4)

Your faithful and supportive words are needed by your brothers and sisters, but only when accompanied by faithful and supportive actions will they be beneficial (Colossians 3:16, 17). No sorrow experienced here can diminish at all the glory and joy we will experience in eternity as faithful children of God. Jesus is coming again. His reward will be more than enough to make it right. (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18).

If The Lord is With You in Your Life (Psalm 30:6-9)
The Lord's presence in our lives is based on our inviting Him to be there. There was a time even in David's life when God was distant due to David's own actions:

6 Now as for me, I said in my prosperity,
"I will never be moved."
7 O LORD, by Your favor You have made my mountain to stand strong;
You hid Your face, I was dismayed.
8 To You, O LORD, I called,
And to the Lord I made supplication:
9 "What profit is there in my blood, if I go down to the pit?
Will the dust praise You? Will it declare Your faithfulness? (Psalm 30:6-9)

But David returned to his God. Every Christian should live so as to always draw closer to God; and failing that, seek His favor yet again as we repent and return to Him. It is a dismaying thing to live and die without God. We simply are not equipped to deal with life and death and eternity without God and it is dangerous to accept the lie that we are.

Eternal Victory to the Faithful (Psalm 30:10-12)
The Lord is gracious and will help His people. Trust Him even when, and especially when, the distress seems great (2 Corinthians 1:8,9).

10 "Hear, O LORD, and be gracious to me;
O LORD, be my helper."
11 You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;
You have loosed my sackcloth and girded me with gladness,
12 That my soul may sing praise to You and not be silent.
O LORD my God, I will give thanks to You forever.
(Psalm 30:10-12)

Our God's purpose is to get us through every hardship here to be home with Him. We live in a fallen world and as a result there is evil all around, but faith overcomes the world. God has wonderful plans for His people, eternal joy well worth thanking Him for today, and tomorrow, and eternally. We now walk by faith, one day faith will become sight for those loyal to the Son of God. Don't miss that day!
 

By Jon W. Quinn
From Expository Files 16.9; September 2009

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