Introduction

The Congregation Council at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Beatrice, Neb., where I am serving as interim pastor, opens its monthly meetings with devotions. These are the thoughts for the April 2010 meeting. The Psalm is the one appointed for the third Sunday of Easter. The council read it in choirs—men and women.

Reading

[A] 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.

[B] 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.

[A] As for me, I said in my prosperity, “I shall never be moved.”
By your favor, O LORD, you have established me as a strong mountain; you hid your face; I was dismayed.

[B] 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!”

[A] 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 forever. (Psalm 30, NRSV)

DEVOTION: Hear, O LORD!
The psalmist’s honesty in conversation with God can sometimes surprise us. In this psalm, the writer bargains with God. The offer is this: If I am dead, I cannot praise you. So rescue me!

There are probably times in our lives when we want to make bargains or cut deals with God. Maybe we want to feel release from pain, or know healing from a disease, or experience the joy of a restored relationship. And so we try to work out an arrangement with God.

We don’t know whether God was persuaded by the psalmist’s offer. But we do know the psalmist was blessed with a joyful reversal: mourning turned to dancing and sackcloth gave way to party clothes. So even if we don’t feel like we have cut a deal with God, we can trust that God draws us up, heals us, restores us to life, turns our sadness into gladness, and dresses us up in celebration.

Discussion

+ How have you felt the ups and downs in your relationship with God? How have your known God’s anger? His favor?
+ Where would you say our congregation as a whole is right now? What supports your perception?
+ What comfort can we offer to individuals who are looking for God’s reassurance?
What can we do as leaders encourage our members as a group to trust in God’s saving help?

Prayer

Gracious God, you rescue us from the low places in our lives and restore our joy when we are sad. Help us to trust that you will save us and will show us your favor for a lifetime; through Jesus Christ our Lord we pray. Amen.