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This is a time of year when many people reflect on all the ways they are thankful. Our self-reflection is needed more than ever because of the age we live in. We live in a time of unprecedented selfishness. In fact selfishness has become a legitimized job for people who are famous for exploiting and mocking others. There are now so-called influencers who travel around and film themselves insulting and attacking strangers, and are given money and attention online.
God’s Word declares that we all should be thankful people focused on the Lord and not ourselves. One example of someone who experienced great moments of selfishness as well as thankfulness is King David. This morning, I would like to briefly look at Psalm 30, a psalm written by King David for the dedication of the Temple, which would happen after his lifetime.
Psalm 30 begins with King David praising the Lord for sparing his life from a severe illness. In verses 2-3, David describes how close he was to death. This was caused by an illness or some other life-threatening catastrophe. These verses emphasize that David was literally at Death’s door, about to enter Sheol, the land of the dead. However, while hovering between life and death, the Lord intervened and miraculously restored his health and life.
But I want to draw our attention to verses 6-7, which describe King David’s attitude that caused his terrible situation.
As for me, I said in my prosperity,
“I shall never be moved.”
By your favor, O Lord,
you made my mountain stand strong;
you hid your face;
I was dismayed.
These verses reveal the reason for King David’s suffering and the reason why we are often not thankful. King David experienced great prosperity and was blessed throughout his life. Today, many either have some level of prosperity or are preoccupied with obtaining prosperity. Much of our media is devoted to telling us how we can become richer. I often think of those involved in cryptocurrency schemes as a powerful example of this mindset.
When a person is focused on their own satisfaction, it can lead to serious problems. This was true for King David, who forgot the Lord and began to believe that his prosperity was because of his abilities. His declaration, “I shall never be moved,” echoes the arrogant words of the wicked in Psalm 10:6.[1] David’s sinful self-reliance provoked the Lord’s anger, leading to the life-threatening crisis described earlier. For all his wealth and power, David was helpless and about to die. Having to face his mortality and recognize his helplessness was a humbling experience that forced him out of his selfish perspective.
Verse 7 emphasizes that David’s prosperity was due to the Lord’s steadfast presence and favor. When the Lord hid His face, withdrawing His protection and blessing, David experienced deep suffering. Every blessing in David’s life, and our lives as well, comes from God’s mercy and love. Thankfulness, not pride, is the correct response to God’s blessings.
In his distress, King David prays to the Lord and cries out for mercy. David is fully aware he does not deserve this mercy, but pleads with God regardless. He promises to praise God if delivered and to proclaim to everyone the true source of his deliverance. David pleads with the Lord to hear his prayer and provide help. This psalm itself serves as a fulfillment of David’s promise that the Lord saved him.
If verses 6-7 tell us what it is like not to be thankful and the consequences of it, then verses 11-12, which end this psalm, tell us what it is like to live a life of thankfulness.
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!
Psalm 30 ends with King David enthusiastically praising the Lord for delivering him from death. David’s life has been transformed; his mourning has been turned into dancing, and his despair has been replaced with joy. He powerfully praises the Lord and proclaims his thankfulness for all to hear. This praise is not just about this moment of safety but reflects an eternal attitude in response to the Lord’s boundless love and faithfulness.
King David is a man like all of us, a man whose life was filled with happy and difficult moments. Like anyone successful from the world’s perspective, he was tempted to believe his own hype. He was tempted to believe that everything good in his life was because of his own skills or talents. Focusing on physical prosperity caused serious problems with his spiritual walk and led to an intense personal crisis.
We can also fall into this same trap in our lives. When things are going well for a long period of time, we tend to forget the Lord, and instead of being thankful, we become entitled or believe our success is from our own efforts. But the Lord is with us and blessing us every day, not just during the big situations of life. Every day we are alive, every day our needs are met, every day we experience the blessings of safety and joy, are reasons to be thankful. Often, we find it much easier to count our problems or difficulties than to count our blessings.
Living a life of Godly thanksgiving is focusing on all those blessings we experience every day and remembering that we are dependent on the Lord for everything. Every good thing in our lives is not because of our efforts or talent but because of the Lord. It is the Lord who gives us the strength to work, to think, and to be blessed with the jobs, family, and friends we enjoy.
Most importantly, the Lord gives us salvation. He is the one who has moved us from a kingdom of darkness and mourning to His kingdom of light that is filled with joy and dancing. Heaven is filled with all those who love the Lord giving thanks to Him forever. Our lives here on Earth should be filled with thankfulness as well.
May the Lord turn all our mourning into dancing. May we all experience the favor of the Lord every day. May we give thanks to the Lord for He is good, and His love endures forever.
[1] Allen P. Ross, A Commentary on the Psalms 1–89: Commentary, vol. 1, Kregel Exegetical Library (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Academic, 2011–2013), 674.