Psalm 30

30:1 - "You have drawn me up and have not let me foes rejoice over me." The first image that came to my mind upon reading this, was the image of a football player standing triumphant over another...taunting after a big hit...reveling in his humiliation of another. Sometimes we feel this way don't we. We feel that life is crushing us...we feel that others are rejoicing in our struggles...we feel that we are on the ground, defeated and the world is laughing at us. I think most of the time we are the ones who keep ourselves down...I think we accept defeat...I think we give up...we wallow in self pity...we get stuck and imagine that everyone is looking down on us. We must remember the reality of what is going on in the world...God is in control. In our weakness He shows His strength...in our failure, He shows His victorious strength. If we turn to the Lord, we will be pulled up out of our failure. He picks us up...lends us strength...shows us our worth (Which does not depend on what others think of us). There is no true gloating for the enemies of the Lord, because He is ever victorious. We know how the story ends!

30:5 - Ask yourself - "Do I embody the characteristics of the Lord laid out in this verse?" Do you? As I read this verse this morning, I began to ask myself - does my family feel this way about me? Do they see me as someone who's anger is momentary and his love is always there? What do I need to do to live that out? What needs to change? I need to accept the mercy and healing that comes from God on a moment by moment basis. When we dwell in the forgiveness of the Lord, we will better be able to forgive...better be able to treat others with mercy...better be able to love others as God loves us.

30:11-12 - Another question for us to ask ourselves..."Do I give praise to God in everything?" Do I praise the Lord in the good times and the bad times? Honestly, no. Definitely not always. I allow perso0nal failure to drive a wedge between myself and God. I allow distractions to blind me to God's moving in my life. My thankfulness suffers. I long to trust God so deeply that I can be joyful and praise filled regardless of my circumstances. God give me the eyes to see your will in every situation...and the praises to offer you in any circumstance.