Will the dust praise God?
In Psalm 30:8-12, David writes of a short-term privilege belonging to God’s people. It’s not thought of often and spoken of even less. A privilege, that once passed, will never occur again. I speak of praising God while in this sin-cursed world. David writes:
To you, O LORD, I cry, and to the Lord I plead for mercy. What profit is there in my death, If I go down to the pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it tell of your faithfulness? Hear, O LORD, and be merciful to me! O LORD, be my helper! You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks to you forever!
David, who had lived through the extremities of life; he knew personal failure, poverty, fame and wealth, he knew what it was like to be hated and loved. He had experienced the pain of betrayal by those who had promised faithfulness. He knew the deep anxieties of suffering the loss of those people and things most precious to him, just as he also knew the sweetness of receiving wonderful things in life. And he knew the loving comfort of truly loyal and compassionate friends. Yet, through all of life’s diversities, David recognised the uniqueness that each of life’s circumstances provide for us to praise God.
As David considered the infinite goodness of God, compared to the sour complexities of his own life, he concluded that the Lord is worthy of his affection. Here, David respectfully debates the virtues of God mercifully providing him with the capacity and desire to speak well of God through all of life. As David frames his words, he reminds the Lord that only humans living within this mortal and time-trapped world can tell of His faithfulness from within this harsh environment. The elements of this earth, like the animal kingdom, cannot intelligently verbalize the worthy qualities of God, but people can.
Only during this chapter of our lives on earth, do we have the possibility and capacity to call out for God’s mercy to change us, to transform us into gratefully outspoken recipients of God’s goodness. Therefore, like David, we need Yahweh to be our helper in this matter. Far too many go through life incessantly complaining, trapped by ingratitude, unforgiveness, and bitterness. While investing considerable energy to grumbling, they fail to remember and speak of the kindnesses, the provisions, and the hope provided by God through his Son Jesus Christ. While demanding more and more of this life, such people blind themselves to the many answered prayers and expressions of divine grace in their lives.
As David acknowledged, it was the Lord who had loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness. It is to God’s glory and David’s merit, that he not only recognised the purpose for this, but he shared it with others. The purpose of transformed lives by God, is for those transformed to sing your praise and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks to you forever!
The apostle Paul emphasised this to the Ephesian church. Believers in Jesus Christ are to the praise of His glorious grace (Ephesians 1:6). This is God’s purposeful will for our lives as Christians (Ephesians 1:5). May we explore the many opportunities given to us to speak of the excellencies of Jesus Christ through all of life’s twists and turns, highs and lows, sour and sweet times.
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