Introduction
When we say “David’s Night of Tears”, it would be easy to think of more than one. What are some examples? (death of his sons, repentance over Bathsheba, being hunted by Saul, etc.). Tonight we will spend time in Psalm 30 - a time when his mourning was turned to dancing. We do not have any real information about when this was or to what specific events it may relate. The superscriptions over the Psalms are late additions and not necessarily anything more than a scribal suggestion or thought - not part of the inspired text.
We may think of this Psalm in a very personal manner - what was a time in your life when you were in a time of mourning? It could have been the loss of a loved one, or perhaps it was a sin that you committed, or perhaps a sin was committed against you. There are innumerable painful situations in our lives. It is universally true that human beings experience challenges, grief, and overwhelming circumstances at times. Sometimes because of our own choices, and sometimes because of events we face. It is vitally important to turn to God in times of distress.
In our nights of sorrow, we believe that God will turn our mourning into dancing. In this Psalm there is a movement back and forth between praise, tears, thanks, sorrows, and being close to God, and being far from God. In these movements, we find our everyday lives and experiences.
Psalm 30
1 I will exalt you, Lord, for you lifted me out of the depths and did not let my enemies gloat over me.
2 Lord my God, I called to you for help, and you healed me.
3 You, Lord, brought me up from the realm of the dead; you spared me from going down to the pit.
4 Sing the praises of the Lord, you his faithful people; praise his holy name.
5 For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.
6 When I felt secure, I said, “I will never be shaken.”
7 Lord, when you favored me, you made my royal mountain[c] stand firm;
but when you hid your face, I was dismayed.
8 To you, Lord, I called; to the Lord I cried for mercy:
9 “What is gained if I am silenced, if I go down to the pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it proclaim your faithfulness?
10 Hear, Lord, and be merciful to me; Lord, be my help.”
11 You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,
12 that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent. Lord my God, I will praise you forever.
Here are some Elements of Prayer from David’s Night of Tears
1. Praise Should Always Be In Our Prayers (1).
I will exalt you, Lord, for you lifted me out of the depths and did not let my enemies gloat over me.
He praises God because of who God is: exalted or extolled - literally means to lift up. (McCann) He Praises God because of what God has done. Brought me up - like drawing water from a well (McCann). Herrick: “The psalmist praises God who answered his cry for mercy, delivering him from death and humiliation before his enemies.” Two things will help us express praise in our prayers:
Contemplation on how amazing God really is.
Reading the Psalms.
2. Gratitude Should Find Expression in Our Prayers (2-3)
Lord my God, I called to you for help, and you healed me. You, Lord, brought me up from the realm of the dead; you spared me from going down to the pit.
David expresses that God brought about healing, and he is grateful. Wiersbe: The ‘healing’ mentioned in verse 2 may not have involved actual physical sickness, because the word is also used to describe not only forgiveness and spiritual restoration but also deliverance from mental and emotional distress.
But we do not know if it was physical or mental, but David gave thanks either way. It could have been physical, as he expresses ‘you spared me from going down to the pit’. Utley: 30:3 "...refers to the grave or the holding place of the dead.” Herrick: “The psalmist seems to indicate that the result of God healing him was physical well being instead of literal death (v. 3, 9). It appears that the term is used of physical healing in other places in the Psalms as well. Psalm 6:3 seems to be a prayer that God would physically heal the psalmist for he says that ‘his bones are in agony’ and that death is a possibility if YHWH does not intervene.”
Either way, the prayer principle is to express gratitude. How often do we thank God in our prayers - or make lists of reasons we are grateful for all He has done! In a dark night of tears it is easy to forget we have much for which to be grateful.
3. Pray and Praise with the Congregation (4)
Sing the praises of the Lord, you his faithful people; praise his holy name.
The psalmist summarizes his praise to God by calling all the saints to praise God because His anger is short-lived while His favor brings life. Who is to pray and praise? His Faithful People! (NASB "godly ones" NKJV "saints" NRSV "faithful ones" TEV "faithful people" LSB “Holy ones”)
Dixon: No matter how tear-stained our path may be, we have countless reasons to praise Him.
God is faithful to his promises; are we faithful to believe his promises? This emphasizes the importance of gratitude and praise as powerful expressions of faith and transformation.
4. Prayer should relate to Real Life (5)
For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.
When we consider the anger of the Lord, and the weeping we do in the night, these are expressions of grief, sorrow, being overwhelmed. Whether this comes because of sin (anger of the Lord) or our own experiences, this is only for a moment. Our sorrows are heavy, but they are being soothed by the joy that God brings. The joy that comes in the morning does not deny the tears - nor the hurt, pain. The joy that comes in the morning recognizes the grace, love, mercy of the Lord.
MacLaren: It will not be a joy like what the world calls joy—loud-voiced, boisterous, ringing with idiot laughter; but it will be pure, and deep, and sacred, and permanent.
5. Prayer is Hindered When Focused on Self (6)
When I felt secure, I said, “I will never be shaken.”
Perhaps this is another source of weeping in the night for David - he began to trust himself at some point rather than trusting God. Wiersbe: “It was David’s pride that made it necessary for the Lord to chasten him. ‘Prosperity’ means ‘careless ease, a carefree self-assurance because things are going so well.’ How often do we forget to pray and thank God when things are going well? It feels like we do not need him in the moment, but that is not true.
6. Prayer Springs from our Experiences with God (7-9)
Lord, when you favored me, you made my royal mountain stand firm; but when you hid your face, I was dismayed. 8 To you, Lord, I called; to the Lord I cried for mercy: 9 “What is gained if I am silenced, if I go down to the pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it proclaim your faithfulness?
David recalls times when he felt secure and firm in his faith; and times when he felt that God was not with him. The result is he cries for mercy from a Holy God. He tells God that He wants to live so he can continue to offer up praise. Utley: "dust" This is a figurative expression for death (cf. Psalm 22:15,19; Isaiah 26:19; 29:4). Humans were made of clay/dust (cf. Gen. 2:7) and to dust we return at death (cf. Gen. 3:19).
Our prayers change with the seasons and experiences of life, but always we come back to God’s mercy and a desire to stay in conversation with him through prayer. This is what we most need (vs 9 “Hear, Lord, and be merciful to me; Lord, be my help.”)
8. Prayer provides a Testimony (11-12)
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.
Dixon: Even when we’re in dire circumstances, God can turn our wailing into dancing. Though His healing won’t always look or feel like we’d hoped or expected, we can be confident in God’s ways (Psalm 30:1–3).
Wiersbe: “Seven times in the Psalm David wrote “you have” (1-3, 7, 11), bearing witness to the strong and gracious hand of the Lord working on his behalf … he moved from the funeral to the feast. He took of the sackcloth of sadness and put on the garments of gladness.”
Wiersbe: “Every difficult experience of life - and David had many of them - is an opportunity to have a ‘pity party’ or attend a rehearsal for singing in the choirs of heaven! We have a lifetime of grace (v 5) to prepare us for an eternity of glory.”
Dixon: As our merciful God comforts us in our sorrow, He envelops us in peace and empowers us to extend compassion toward others and ourselves. Our loving and faithful Lord can and does turn our wailing into worship that can lead to heart-deep trust, praise, and maybe even joyful dancing.”
It is here that we learn that joy is not dependent upon circumstances - but upon our God’s mercy and presence.
Conclusion
“The victorious Christian life is a series of new beginnings.” - George Morrison (via Wiersbe)
We should cry out to God for mercy and help when we face difficult struggles
Maintaining faith and hope during difficult times is “...a new orientation to life means a reevaluation of suffering and joy… Suffering need not be an indication of the absence of God for those who take refuge in God (Ps 2:12). The existence of suffering does not negate the good news that life is a gift from God. … joy is possible in the depths. And praise is not reserved for seasons of prosperity, rather, it becomes a constant way of life.” (McCann)
Dixon: David explored how intimately God entwines hardship and hope (v. 5). He acknowledged times of grief and rejoicing, times of feeling secure and being dismayed (vv. 6–7). His cries for help remained laced with confidence in God (vv. 7–10). The echo of his praise wove through David’s moments of wailing and dancing, grief and joy (v. 11). As if acknowledging the mystery and complexity of enduring affliction and anticipating God’s faithfulness, David proclaimed his endless devotion to God (v. 12).
And if our cares and troubles and sorrows and losses are to be transfigured hereafter, then we must keep very near Jesus Christ, who has promised to us that His joy will remain with us, and that our sorrows shall be turned into joys. If we trust Him, the voices that have been raised in weeping will be heard in gladness, and earth’s minor will be transposed by the great Master of the music into the key of Heaven’s jubilant praise. - Alexander MacLaren
Prayer based on Psalm 30
In the pit, Lord, I find
Sackcloth and Ashes
Sickness and Loneliness
Death and Mourning
But I lift up Your Name!
You heal me!
You restore my life!
You look upon me with favor!
You took my mourning
and turned it into dancing!
I’m going to sing your praises forever!
In the night of my sorrow
I came to know that
Joy comes in the morning.
Amen
by John Dobbs
Resources
I love the imagery of being “clothed in joy”!