Let Your Love Wash Over Me

-I will extol you, O Lord, for you have drawn me up, and did not let my foes rejoice over me. O Lord my God, I cried to you for help, and you have healed me. O Lord, you brought up my soul from Sheol, restored me to life from among those gone down to the Pit. Sing praises to the Lord, O you his faithful ones, and give thanks to his holy name. 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. As for me, I said in my prosperity, ‘I shall never be moved.’ By your favor, O Lord, you had established me as a strong mountain; you hid your face; I was dismayed. To you, O Lord, I cried, and to the Lord I made supplication: 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? Hear, O Lord, and be gracious to me! O Lord, be my helper!’ You have turned my mourning into dancing; you have taken off my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, so that my soul may praise you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you for ever. -Psalm 30

Often faith can feel like a roller coaster and this psalm captures the ups and downs of following Christ. This is particularly visible in the Psalm's mid-section, "by your favor, O Lord, you had established me as a strong mountain; you hid your face; I was dismayed." There are times in our lives when we feel as if we are standing on such a firm foundation in God as to be unshakeable, while in other moments we feel as though God has disappeared completely, if He was ever there at all. Sustaining our faith is a challenge.

But notice how the Psalm ends. "O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you for ever." The psalmist settles in this spot because he understands one thing, that whether he feels close to God or far away, God is nonetheless present and his only true hope in life. The truth is that today, whether you feel near God or far away, you have much to be thankful for in your life. God is faithful to you even when you can't feel it. God loves you even when you can't experience it. God cares for you even when you are in doubt. God is the source of your joy. Consider that for a moment...then give thanks.

Prayer: Holy God, help me to be faithful to you this day and please let your love wash over me. I need you and I want to give you praise. Please help me. I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

[Phillip Blackburn, First Presbyterian Church]