Day #19 (Psalm 30) – “Joy Comes with the Morning”

GATHERING
THE CALL | Lamentations 3:25 [ESV]
    The LORD is good to those who wait for him,
           to the soul who seeks him.

CONFESSION | Lamentations 3:28–30 [ESV]
The phrase, Kyrie eleison, simply means "Lord have mercy" and has been used by the Church for centuries, including by Reformers like John Calvin as a congregational refrain during worship. We often use it to ask for the forgiveness of personal sin, but it is just as appropriate to call upon God's saving mercy as we experience the sinful effects of others upon us. Here we will use it as such. You can speak it, or you can sing it: 

~Kyrie eleison [sheet music]~
Let him sit alone in silence
    when it is laid on him;

~Kyrie eleison~
let him put his mouth in the dust--
    there may yet be hope;

~Kyrie eleison~
let him give his cheek to the one who strikes,
    and let him be filled with insults.

~Kyrie eleison~

ASSURANCE | Lamentations 3:28–30 [ESV]
For the Lord will not
    cast off forever,
but, though he cause grief, he will have compassion
    according to the abundance of his steadfast love;
for he does not afflict from his heart
    or grieve the children of men.

SING | Doxology [sheet music]
Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
Amen

WORD
Read Psalm 30
2nd Reading: Ephesians 2:20-22
(Psalm 30: 4,5)  “ Sing praises to the Lord, O you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name.
                                For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime.
                                 Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.”
 
If you have ever been in the pits of life, down and out, feeling as if there will be no deliverance; then if you are delivered and drawn up again... there is nothing else so sweet.
 
It is not in times of prosperity that God is teaching us dependence, but in the pits of life. Perhaps you find yourself there now, and the encouragement of the psalm is this: The Lord will not leave you there, but draw you up.
 
If you find yourself crying out to God, asking for healing, saying with the psalmist, “What profit is there in my death,” then recall the many times the Lord has saved you before. As he was faithful then so will he be faithful now. If the Lord is using this period of time to teach you, then receive his instruction and know that his anger is only for a moment.
 
It’s also important to acknowledge the night. Weep while it is night, but do not weep as if it will the night will remain. Part of the prayers of the saints ought to be prayers of weeping. It’s okay to grieve, and we ought to grieve well, but we do not grieve as those without hope.
 
As sure as the sun will rise, so sure will God save his beloved.

ABIDING
SING

• Psalm 123 | I Lift My Eyes [recording] [sheet music]
• Optional Meditation: Recording: Aramaic Our Father In Heaven from the Country of Georgia

MONDAY-LECTIO DIVINA | Psalm 123
We memorize things we value. The brain has an incredible ability to remove information that we don’t need. As we make an effort to memorize the Psalms, the beginning of each week seeks to establish the value of God's Word in our hearts before we view it as information to be remembered. Read more about the Lectio Divina HERE.

1. Receive God's Word from Psalm 123 as a gift as you read or listen. 
2. Re-read and meditate on the meaning of the Psalm. If you are in a group, briefly share an idea that applies to your life. 
3. Pick an attribute of the Psalm and pray from it in your own words.
4. Silently contemplate how God has spoken to you through his Word.

SENDING
LORD'S PRAYER
Our Father in heaven, 
hallowed be your Name, 
your kingdom come, 
your will be done, 
on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread. 
And forgive us our debts, 
as we also have forgiven our debtors

And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil. 
For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever, 
Amen.

Lamentations 3:22–24
The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases;
    his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
    great is your faithfulness.
“The LORD is my portion,” says my soul,
    “therefore I will hope in him.”