Psalm 30:8-12
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!” 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. Psalm 30:8-12 (NKJV)
This is a song of David dedicating his new house – most likely a new temple. At the beginning of the Psalm David praises God for being with him through the successful build and finishes the chapter (v11-12) with further praise and celebration.
How many of us thank God at the end of the day for keeping us safe and for a good day ? I admit that I clearly take my needs and problems to God more often in prayer than my thanks and praise. Please give me courage, success in a project, keep me safe in travels, help me make the right decision, help get me out of a situation, etc. The focus so much of the time is “me or my family” in my prayers. Even in David’s praise his focus is on “my glory may sing praise to You (God)”. This theme seems to be as common in biblical times as it is today. We are human.
Today’s verse begins in 8-9, where David makes an interesting supplication (to plead humbly). He seems to be negotiating with the Lord for safety from his enemies. David’s argument is that if he is dead, he will no longer be able to sing praises to God’s glory to the people. So…you better keep me safe. This “negotiation” is repeated several times in the Bible and specifically by David in Psalms 6 and 115. One gets a sense of control with this human tactic – If you do “this”, then I will do “that”, but you will benefit only if you do “this” first.
Why do we feel a need to negotiate for God’s grace? Jesus taught us that grace is a free gift from God, undeserving, unearned, without any need for negotiations. Paul was physically punished during his ministry over the suspension of The Law by the free gift of grace. Luther struggled most of his life over accepting God’s gift of grace. We are right with God through simple faith alone. No actions on our part are warranted. This is a good thing since we always would fall short of the mark set by Jesus. Nothing we do would ever be enough except for the pure grace of God’s love for us.
Jesus made it clear that we are made right with God by simple faith, trusting in His love for us. He will watch over us celebrating our wins, and walking beside us, and even carrying us when we fall. We do not need to negotiate or barter for His love, or a better deal. The price is already free, and the value of the reward is priceless. Faith alone.
Questions for Reflection:
- When you go to God in prayer, are you typically asking for His help, or are you praising and celebrating His love/grace?
- In foundational Jewish (OT) daily prayer offerings, praise and thanksgiving are the primary focus with much less emphasis on “requests”. How is your prayer balance?
Prayer
Dear Lord,
Thank you for Your watchful eye over me and my family. Help us to always trust in your presence through the Holy Spirit. Guide us to make good choices and be a good example of the life Jesus taught us to lead. In Your glory. Amen.
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