A psalm. A song for the dedication of the Temple. Of David.
I
I praise you, Lord, for you raised me up
and did not let my enemies rejoice over me.
O Lord, my God,
I cried out to you for help and you healed me.
Lord, you brought my soul up from Sheol;
you let me live, from going down to the pit.
II
Sing praise to the Lord, you faithful;
give thanks to his holy memory.
For his anger lasts but a moment;
his favor a lifetime,
At dusk weeping comes for the night;
but at dawn there is rejoicing.
III
Complacent, I once said,
“I shall never be shaken.”
Lord, you showed me favor,
established for me mountains of virtue.
But when you hid your face
I was struck with terror.
To you, Lord, I cried out;
with the Lord I pleaded for mercy;
“What gain is there from my lifeblood,
from my going down to the grave?
Does dust give you thanks
or declare your faithfulness?
Hear, O Lord, have mercy on me;
Lord, be my helper.”
IV
You changed my mourning into dancing;
you took off my sackcloth
and clothed me with gladness.
So that my glory may praise you
and not be silent.
O Lord, my God,
forever will I give you thanks.
Psalms 30:1-13
“Sing praise to the Lord, you faithful;” Amen, sister! I love the idea of ending the week in song! And just in case that isn’t joyful enough, “You changed my mourning into dancing.”
When is the last time you were so joyful that you broke out into song, or you just had to dance? We need to allow ourselves to enjoy life that much. We need to be so grateful for the gifts God has given us that we just can’t help but dance!
This reminds me of a story. It’s silly, but I’m going to share it with you, anyway. My sister sent me a text message one evening last weekend to tell me that wherever she was, the Carlton dance music started playing. (Do you know what that is? It is from the Fresh Prince of Bel-Aire. This is the best I can do as far as a video clip.) Anyway, I immediately asked her to assure me that she didn’t let me down. Certainly, when that music is played, the dance must be done! Never fear, she stepped up!
I love that about her. When we are together, you just never know if there might be spontaneous dancing. We used to dance whenever a stranger’s cell phone ring tone played music in a store or something. One time on vacation, we were walking past a Bubba Gump Shrimp restaurant, and there was a guy on the sidewalk in a shrimp costume dancing to some music. So…
I hope you have people who make you enjoy your lives, too. I hope you are so happy sometimes that you can’t help but dance. And the next time you feel that happy, but a little too bashful to dance, I encourage you to grab someone like my sister who will join in and just let loose!
Celebrate the joy God has given us with song and dance …whenever possible!