Psalm 30 (1st)

I will exalt You, O Lord, for You lifted me out of the depths and did not let my enemies gloat
over me. O Lord my God, I called to You for help and You healed me. O Lord, You brought me
up from the grave; You spared me from going down into the pit. Sing to the Lord, you saints of
His; praise His holy name. For His anger lasts only a moment, but His favor lasts a lifetime;
weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning. (1-5)
The event surrounding this psalm of David is thought to have been the dedication of Omans
threshing floor which would later become the site of the temple (I Chronicles 21,) or the
cessation of the plague in Israel (II Chronicles 21), or the dedication of the house of cedar (II
Samuel 5)
Because David was a man Gods own heart, this is an example and pattern for effective
communion with God, beginning prayer and praise with the words: I will exalt you, O Lord
(1)
I will exalt you, O God the King, I will praise your name for ever and ever . . . every day I will
praise you . . . great is the Lord and most worthy of praise . . . the Lord gracious and
compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love . . . the Lord is good to all (Psalm 145:1-9)
We praise God not because He in need of our praise some critics have actually accused God
Almighty of being insecure because He instructs us to praise Him but God is complete
within Himself, and out of His sovereignty He allows His children to love and communicate
with Him
We exalt Him because it is appropriate when we submit ourselves to God (Prov 3:5, Jas 4:7),
we begin to comprehend His holiness, our need for Him, and experience healing and restoration
When we acknowledge that God is the Creator and we are His creatures, an understanding
results in our hearts and minds about who God is, about who we are, and His purpose for us
(Rom 1:25)
Know that the Lord is God; it is He who has made us and not we ourselves; we are His people
and the sheep of His pasture; enter His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise;
be thankful unto Him and bless His name, for the Lord is good and His love endures forever;
and His faithfulness continues through all generations (Psalm 100:3-5)
Praise and thanksgiving seem to be inseparable as David reflects upon the greatness of God,
he naturally moves to thanking God for what He has done in his own life I called to You for
help and you healed me; You spared me from going down into the pit (2-3)
Just as praise enhances a proper prospective of life, thanksgiving heightens our understanding
of Gods grace and who we are in relationship to Him, as evidenced by Davids prayer: Who
am I, Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far (II Samuel
7:18)
We can sing praises to God, even in times of trial, for we know His anger is a result of His
love, for He is a jealous God jealous for our affections and desirous that we inherit eternal
life
And the Lords discipline is an expression of His love, for those the Lord loves He disciplines,
even as a father the son in whom He delights (Proverbs 3:12, Hebrews 12:6, Revelation 3:19)
Discipline is temporary, but the correct response leads to a lifetime of joy (I Corinthians 9:2527)

 Discipline is not pleasant at the time but painful, yet our response to Gods reproof produces
a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it (Hebrews 12:11)
David understood Gods discipline as His act of love, for he reflected: Before I was afflicted, I
went astray, but now I obey Your word; You are good, and what You do is good (Psalm
119:67)
We do well to remember that Gods use of affliction is but for a season, but His resulting favor
lasts for a lifetime weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning (5)