From Psalms |
Psalm 30
(A psalm. A song. For the dedication of the temple. Of David.)
1I will extol thee, O LORD;
for thou hast lifted me up,
and hast not made my foes to rejoice over me.
2O LORD my God, I cried unto thee,
and thou hast healed me.
3O LORD, thou hast brought up my soul from the grave (hebrew sheol):
thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.
4Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his,
and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.
5For his anger endureth but a moment;
in his favour is life:
weeping may endure for a night,
but joy cometh in the morning.
6And in my prosperity I said,
I shall never be moved.
7LORD, by thy favour thou
hast made my mountain to stand strong:
thou didst hide thy face,
and I was troubled.
8I cried to thee, O LORD;
and unto the LORD I made supplication.
9What profit is there in my blood,
when I go down to the pit?
Shall the dust praise thee?
shall it declare thy truth?
10Hear, O LORD, and have mercy upon me:
LORD, be thou my helper.
11Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing:
thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness;
12To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent.
O LORD my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.
Today, while reading I was reminded of some of the thoughts that got me started in this journey through psalms. What was going through my head as I started this path of healing and recovery. You see I enjoy running - and competing in marathons. I train regularly. I used to train more regularly. Every week trying to train my body to go farther or faster.
So, when I started I wanted a marathon training program for my soul. I knew that psalms could be that. I knew that reading, or in my case, writing one psalm a day would give me a new ability to pray and, I hoped, would bring me closer to God.
This attitude was echoed, Wild at Heart, "A man will devote long hours of is finances when he has a goal of early retirement; he'll endure rigorous training when he aims to run a 10k or even a marathon. The ability to discipline himself is there, but dormant for many of us."
So, how does this relate to this to psalm 30? Well, my life was in a pit while I was in my addiction. It was no coincidence either. I was spiritually unfit. Spiritually obese. If there was a way to measure Body Mass Index for spirituality, mine might have been off the charts. Now though, after some rigor, some fellowship, and a whole of guidance, he lifts me up. God has brought me from the grave, the pit, a hell of addiction where my mourning is now dancing.
I may not be the equivalent of an Olympic athlete but at least I now consider myself healthy. Which is more than I see in a world that suffers and struggles the same way I did. Don't mistake this for pride - I am noting this because I know in time it will be my role to help others who struggle the way I did. And a statement of hope. That if I can do it, then so can they. For we may be sad and weeping tonight, for the moment - but joy will come in the morning, and will last with us for the rest of our lives.
And so it is, God, that I will give thanks to thee forever.
Thanks for letting me share.
Awesome, thank you for sharing, Rex! Sending God's love & blessings to you across the miles!:)
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