Heavenly Father, “You turned my wailing into dancing;
you removed my sackcloth
and clothed me with joy,
that my heart may sing your praises
and not be silent.
LORD my God,
I will praise you forever (Psalm 30:11-12).
Amen.
— — — —
The delicate dance of grass at sunset — photo courtesy of Donald Adam
David Dances before the LORD
Now King David was told,
“The LORD has blessed the household of Obed-Edom
and everything he has,
because of the ark of God.”
So David went to bring up the ark of God
from the house of Obed-Edom
to the City of David with rejoicing. When those who were carrying
the ark of the LORD had taken six steps,
he sacrificed a bull and a fattened calf. Wearing a linen ephod,
David was dancing before the LORD with all his might, while he and all Israel were bringing up the ark of the LORD
with shouts and the sound of trumpets. (2 Samuel 6:12-15 NIV)*
Pray for enduring peace in Israel and Gaza, and continue to pray for peace to return to Ukraine and Russia!
Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer won the Best Book of the Year Award from The Word Guild and Volume II has won the Best Devotional of the Year Award. For those who love God’s word, this three-book series is an ideal way to daily meet with the Lord. To purchase or for a closer look click here.
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When I felt secure, I said, “I will never be shaken.” LORD, when you favored me, you made my royal mountain stand firm; but when you hid your face, I was dismayed.
To you, LORD, I called; to the LORD I cried for mercy: “What is gained if I am silenced, if I go down to the pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it proclaim your faithfulness? Hear, LORD, and be merciful to me; LORD, be my help.”
You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent. LORD my God, I will praise you forever (NIV)*
Reflection Every psalm in the Book of Psalms reveals to us an aspect or characteristic of God. Here in Psalm 30, we see the LORD God of mercy, redemption, and sudden turn-arounds.
We all go through times of triumph as well as times of deep discouragement. My emotional life often swings between these two extremes. Some days my glass is half full; on other days it is half empty. My faith level soars and plummets, often quite abruptly depending on circumstances. David also experienced these swings between optimism and pessimism. They are a trademark of his psalms. Perhaps that’s why I love them. They reflect my own life experience.
In the opening lines of today’s reading, David swings between a position of utter confidence and security to a position of shaken dismay. When trouble or disaster strikes, we may well ask, “Where is God in all this?” Like David we may call out, “What is gained if I am silenced, if I go down to the pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it proclaim your faithfulness? Hear, LORD, and be merciful to me; LORD, be my help” (v. 9-10).
God is always on His throne. He is not caught by surprise when you lose your job, a relationship breaks down or you suffer a great loss. He remains secure, but more than that He is a God of great mercy and sudden turn-arounds. He is the LORD God of resurrection. He turned the disciples mourning into dancing when He raised Jesus from the dead. Always, always, always remember He can do the same for you. In the course of this psalm, He turned David around. Jesus is the resurrection artist. And furthermore, remember this: Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever (Hebrews 13:8).
Response: You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent. LORD my God, I will praise you forever (v. 11-12). Amen.
Your Turn: Has God turned around a seemingly impossible situation for you? Take a moment to remind yourself of those God sent turn-arounds.
May you and your family draw near to God as we begin 2026.
Please pray for peace to return to Israel, Gaza, Russia and Ukraine!
Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer won the Best Book of the Year Award from The Word Guild and Volume II has won the Best Devotional of the Year Award. For those who love God’s word, this three-book series is an ideal way to daily meet with the Lord. To purchase or for a closer look click here.
Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer won the Best Book of the Year Award from The Word Guild and Volume II has won the Best Devotional of the Year Award. For those who love God’s word, this three-book series is an ideal way to daily meet with the Lord. To purchase or for a closer look click here.
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James—the brother of Jesus—who was this man? What evidence do we have that this “brother of our Lord” even existed?
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Is a return-to-Jesus revival possible in our time?
I love the Psalms 