PREVIEW: Why has God blessed you? Of course, he loves you as his dear child, and wants to give you the desires of your heart. (Psalm 37:3-4) But he gives you life and breath, health and happiness, peace and prosperity that you might be an instrument of his praise to those who will listen, and even to those who won’t. He answers your prayers and pulls you out of the pit so that your voice would rise in public gratitude to him. Even in the midst of hardship, he gives you inner joy that others might know of your hope in the goodness of God.
A Journey of Worship // Psalm 30:11-12 (NLT)
You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing. You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy, that I might sing praises to you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever.
Apparently, David was physically sick. So sick that he believed he was going to die. And his detractors were openly hoping for it, gloating over his misfortune. (Psalm 30:1) But David appealed to the Lord who raised his from his deathbed and restored his health. (Psalm 30:2-3)
I cried to you for help, and you restored my health. You brought me up from the grave, O Lord. You kept me from falling into the pit of death.
What did David do in response to God’s gracious intervention? He used it as a platform to talk about the goodness of God. He understood that the reason God spared his life, at least in part, was to now be an instrument of praise, as we see in Psalm 30:9,
What gain is there in my destruction, in my going down into the pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it proclaim your faithfulness?
Fast forward from King David (at times, a no good, dirty rotten sinner) to you (at times, a no good, dirty rotten sinner, too). Have you given any thought to why God has been so gracious and merciful to you? Do you know the reason why he has answered so many of your prayers? Do you think it is simply to give you a more comfortable life or to satisfy your every whim?
Of course, God loves you as his dear child and wants to give you the desires of your heart. (Psalm 37:3-4) But he gives you life and breath, health and happiness, peace and prosperity that you might be an instrument of his praise to those who will listen, and even to those who won’t. He answers your prayers and pulls you out of the pit so that your voice would rise in public gratitude to him. Even in the midst of hardship, he gives you inner joy so that others might know of your hope in the goodness of God.
David got it. He understood that his life had been spared and his prayers answered so that he could worship among the wicked (Psalm 30:1) and sing among the saints (Psalm 30:4) as living proof of a loving God.
God wants you to “get it” too. So, starting today, look for opportunities to speak a good word for God among those who will listen, and even to those who won’t. Remember, your job is to share the Good News with everyone. It’s up to God to convict them of truth. You don’t have to get weird about it, but in the course of your conversations, talk about the goodness of God in your life and let God take it from there.
Remember, that’s the reason you even have life: To be an instrument of praise!
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