Monday, August 30, 2010

Grief 5

Hear, O LORD, and have mercy on me.  LORD, be my helper.  You have turned my mourning into dancing for me.  You have put off my sackcloth and surrounded me with gladness.   Psalm 30:10-11

Two things that are not a part of our vocabulary when we are in the midst of grief: dancing and gladness.

As a matter of fact, those things seem so far away when our souls are aching that it seems absolutely impossible to even conceive that we might even feel like dancing again.  That we might have gladness in our hearts again.

Well, that's what happens when God's mercy gets involved in our lives; when He comes to help us.

The real trick is to not let the Evil One convince us that this grief we're experiencing will never go away.  That the clouds will never lift and the sun will never rise.  It is difficult to avoid thinking those things when our heart is breaking.

But God will be faithful.  He promises that to us when we cling to Him. 

And just the thought of His great love for us, when we really ponder it, when we really spend time with it...can make us feel like dancing.

What is your take on these verses?

2 comments:

  1. My take on these verses is that if God can turn my wailing into joy, then I have it made! Good thing I don't have to wear sackcloth like David did back in the day. Very itchy to say the least.

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  2. He is the answer. You will never feel like dancing until you turn to Him...completely. That means stop putting your hope, your heart, your existence in your situation, but in HIM. It's so so so difficult, but He is so worth it!! Seek wisdom from Him and covet it. Put all of your hope in His promises for your future--a future you do not know, you're not even familiar with; it's completely unknown. That's the scariest and most rewarding part! When your future is NOT what you make it, but instead what He makes it, you will feel like dancing. He has a "pleasing and perfect plan" for you, and even more, He CREATED the sky, the earth, the wind, the sea...how much more can He create a future for you, His most prized creation? This power and creativity cannot be outdone! How can the created "out-think" the creator? Even more, you were created for a place you've never known! How can we believe in a God so big that He created the heavens and the earth yet doesn't have magnificent plans for our everlasting existence? This world is not our home! What an amazing God we serve.

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